THE STRAWBERRY, ETC. 551 



understood, but to be entirely unknown to Europeans, as even the 

 French as well as the English publications recommend that the male 

 hautbois be planted near the Chili and pine varieties, in order to render 

 them fruitful. 



The neglect of scientific sexual culture has been more unfortunate 

 in regard to the F. Chilensis, the largest strawberry of the earth, than to 

 any other. It appears that when this, which in its native country pro- 

 duces fruit as large as a medium sized hen's egg, was brought to Europe 

 in 1712, only the hermaphrodite variety was introduced, and that its 

 potent staminate, so indispensable to develop this large fruit, was left 

 behind. The neglect of scientific scrutiny, and the apathy which has 

 consequently existed in Europe- as to the present vital question, has 

 caused their cultivators to ignore the great advantage attainable by the 

 importation of the other sexual variety ; and as the staminates of other 

 species have proved incongenial, the seminal production of this noblest 

 of all strawberries, by improved seminal varieties, has had necessarily 

 to be abandoned, and not one representative of this magnificent species 

 now exists in the London Horticultural Garden, and with the exception 

 of three or four hybridized seedlings in Eran.ce, the F. Chilensis is only 

 known throughout Europe as a botanical curiosity, not one genuine 

 seedling having ever been produced for want of the other sex. Such is 

 the unfortunate result for which the horticultural savaus of Europe are 

 responsible, by their having left the question recently propounded by 

 Mr. Wray to be answered at this late day in the negative : " Is science 

 brought to bear on the art of strawberry culture in England '?" Fortu- 

 nately, we have, by several importations, established a basis for a great 

 extension of the varieties of this interesting family, and can boast of the 

 production of many fine seedlings. Mr. Wray, despite the adoption of 

 the enlightened views lately presented by him, falls into some errors as 

 to culture, which I shall correct in my next article ; but there is one 

 which I cannot leave unnoticed at this time. Mr. Keen has been re- 

 ferred to as having made some discovery as to sexuality in 1809. H e 

 did so and, as he states in the Horticultural Transactions, his discovery 

 was as to the hautbois strawberry only. Mr. Wray, however, applies 

 this discovery as to his " Keen's Seedling," which was not produced until 

 1821, to which, of course, it can have no application, and which, with 

 his " Imperial," the only other variety he ever produced, are both of the 

 F. grandijlora family, of which no pistillate or female variety has ever 

 yet been produced in Europe, nor yet has one ever been enumerated in 

 the London Horticultural Society's catalogues to the present hour. Mr. 

 W. fell into this error, probably, by following Mr. Longworth, who 

 makes the same transposition of facts and dates. The " pistillate Keen's 

 Seedling" that found its way to Mr. Longworth is a misnomer. It is a 

 native seedling of Indiana, of the wild prairie species, termed F. 

 Illinoiensis. I obtained it in 1847 from Mr. Longworth, who supposed 

 it had been impovtcd'from England ; and I also obtained from him the 



