HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 217 



THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION. 



Mr. Editor": — Who among horticulturists lias not heard of the "Straw- 

 berry Question" — has not wondered at the opposite opinions held by eminent 

 cultivators, and perhaps like myself has been surprised that the spirit of in- 

 quiry has not been more generally diffused concerning a subject of so muck 

 importance. Is it because our instructors cannot come to a unanimous con- 

 clusion upon it, that we pupils in horticulture have been doubtful about ex- 

 pressing our opinions upon it, or have we never studied the subject for our- 

 selves but left them in their wisdom to decide it for us ? I was in this posi- 

 tion waiting for their decision, but as it was not likely to be forthcoming, I 

 resolved to study the subject for myself, have done so this season, and will 

 give you my experience in connection with the "Strawberry Question." 



The points of difference between a staminate and pistillate strawberry 

 flower are so marked that a very casual observer cannot fail to notice them 

 at once, for in staminate varieties the flowers are la'x, the sepals of the 

 calyx appear alternately with the petals of the corolla, the stamens occupy 

 the most prominent place in the flower, rising half their length above the 

 central pistils, are very much swelled at the base, and very large compared 

 with the other parts of the flower, anthers broadly heart shaped, large, and 

 producing abundance of pollen. Pistils, loose, long, and having a barren 

 appearance, which is soon proved by their withering away, and leaving the 

 stamens masters' of the field. The embryo receptacle when it does exist at 

 all is very much flattened, and in the most of cases' cannot be said to exist 

 at all, the pistils being inserted in the thickened Cup of the' calyx. All 

 flowers that have this appearance in these varieties, very soon wither 

 away and leave this impression on the mind of the observer, that they were 

 surely staminate varieties. But as all staminate varieties do not thus w T ither 

 away, but many of them produce fruit, it may be asked are the flowers all 

 the same in appearance. It is here where the peculiarities in this class are 

 met with, for there are few but what produce some fruit, and as I'eal stami- 

 nate flowers conld not produce this fruit, it would readily be seen that stam- 

 inate varieties produce two sorts of flowers ; the one where the organs are 

 unequally balanced which produce no fruit, the other where the flowers are 

 perfect and are fruit bearing. The appearance of the flower that will pro- 

 duce fruit, is markedly cfifferent from the other — by the shortness of the 

 stamens, the conical shaped receptacle, the pistils stiff and thickly set there- 

 on. The flower is altogether more compact, and is as perfect in its organs 

 as any of the Alpine varieties. The following sorts have proved staminate 

 with me. 



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