368 THE FLORIST AND 



Cincinnati, Nov. 13, 1853. 

 Editor of the Florist. 



We differ in our views more than you ; suppose. You speak of Mr. Down- 

 ing's having a change of a pistillate to a staminate plant. This change was 

 in his bed of Hovey. To prove it he sent the plant to Boston, and Mr. 

 Hovey and all the Horticultural Society pronounced it not the Hovey. I 

 say a new pistillate seedling may be raised, bearing a few hermaphrodite 

 blossoms, but I shall not believe in a change in the sexes Hj cultivation till 

 I see it. If it can be made, Mr. Meehan will be entitled to the credit of 

 discovering it. I do not say it is impossible. If true it has ho bearing on 

 the necessity of attention to the sexes in common culture. For twenty 

 years, I kept beds of staminates and pistillates one-hundred yards apart, to 

 make new beds from, — and never had a change. 



In your present number you say "no one has said that a full crop can be 

 produced without staminates - being planted among the pistillates. I say 

 that one thousand acres of Hovey 's seedlings or any other pistillate will, 

 if separated from all others never bear a single perfect berry. ¥ou say 

 that the strawberry in ' its natural, state is perfect in both organs. I say, 

 that in their wild state, the same difference in their sexual character exists. 

 Such I know to be their character in New Jersey, and in our Western 

 States. I say, that Linnieus knew nothing of the sexual character of the 

 strawberry. One of his disciples made the discovery and informed him. 

 Linnaeus told him to keep quiet as his plants failing to produce fruit was 

 from frost, not a defect in the sexual organs. Mr. Keen was the next per- 

 son to discover it. He raised a seedling that bore no fruit. On close ex- 

 amination he could see no male organs that were perfect. He placed his 

 old seedling in the bed, and he had an abundant crop. He made the dis- 

 covery known to the London Horticultural Society ; it seems he was choked- 

 off, as the disciple of Linnceus was, for no notice was taken of it. 



The Botanists of Europe for their present knowledge, are indebted to ah' 

 illiterate German Gardener, once a resident of your city, and who here 

 made a fortune by her knowledge. But for a chance remark of one of her 

 sons the secret might have still been in her family. The persons name was 

 Arbequit, for many years a strawberry grower at the Neck ; and her neigh- 

 bors informed me, that from the same space of ground, she grew five times 

 the quantity of fruit that they did; that when she thinned out her beds she 

 threw her plants on the road. They gathered them up and planted them 

 but never could from them raise a single berry. 



I am myself anxious that Mr. Meehan should sustain his position. He has 

 the genuine McAvoy's superior ; it bears no resembance to any other kind ; let 

 him effect the change to the satisfaction of Dr. Brinckle and Mr. Buist, in 



