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be sooner. The young plant nearest the parent 

 should always be chosen, if possible. In plant- 

 ing during the month of August or Septem- 

 ber, rainy weather should be chosen, if possi- 

 ble ; but it may be safely done, even in a dry 

 time, by using water freely. Water the plants 

 well before taking them up, as it injures the 

 roots very much to draw them out of dry 

 ground ; then water the soil thoroughly where 

 they are to be set, before planting. A sprink- 

 ling will be of no use : it must go down deep, 

 as a heavy rain would. Set the plants in the 

 evening, and shade them a few days with boards 

 set on edge, forming a sort of roof over them. 

 Mulch them, too, with short litter ; and it will 

 be well, if the plants be large, to remove 

 some of the lower and larger leaves. Plant- 

 ing can be done safely in spring until the plants 

 are in blossom — and all summer*, for that mat- 

 . ter, with proper care. 



We have thus briefly sketched the princi- 

 pal operations in strawberry culture ; not in 

 regular order, it is true, but we hope so as to 

 be understood. We are not writing a book, 

 and cannot enter into all of the details with 

 minuteness. We have said nothing of the 

 soil, and will only remark that any good gar- 

 den soil, fit to produce culinary vegetables, or 

 any farm land, fit for grain or root crops, will 

 produce good strawberries ; but it must be 

 deeply plowed, or trenched, say twenty inches 

 at least, and liberally manured with well-de- 

 composed stable manure or good compost. The 

 quantity of manure must vary according to 

 the degree of natural fertility of the soil. In 

 one case, a quantity equal to sis inches deep 

 all over the surface would not oe too much;, 

 while in other cases, half that would be 

 enough. 



We would prefer not to make a strawberry 

 plantation twice on the same ground 5 but when 

 circumstances render it inconvenient to change, 

 rows of youag plants might be set, or allowed 

 to establish themselves from the runners, be- 

 tween the old rows, which can then be turned 

 under with the spade, and will serve to enrich 

 the ground. 



Now as to varieties. On this point there is 

 a great diversity of opinion, and we cannot 

 hope to name a list that will be acceptable to 

 a large number of persons, at least in many 

 parts of the country. Planters must have re- 

 course to the best experience to be found in 

 their respective localities ; in the meantime 

 we shall express our opinion of a few varieties, 

 and let it go for what it is worth. 



It happens that in tjjis country the greater 

 number of our most productive varieties have 

 but one set of the organs of fecundation. A 



fruitful flower must have both pistils and sta- 

 mens perfectly developed. The stamens are 

 regarded as the male organs, and the pistils 

 the female. When a flower has well-developed 

 pistils, but no stamens, or imperfect ones, it 

 must be impregnated by the pollen of other 

 flowers. Where a flower has no pistils, or has 

 imperfect ones, it is utterly barren. A large 

 number of our best American varieties — such 

 as Hovey's Seedling, Burr's New Pine, Mc- 

 Avoy's Superior, Moyamensing, &e. — are 

 wanting in stamens, and therefore foreign im- 

 pregnation is necessary. In Europe this dis- 

 tinction is not observed to any extent, and all 

 the English and continental varieties, as 

 far as w r e know, are hermaphrodite. In this 

 country very many of them fail from an im- 

 perfect development of the pistils, and are 

 consequently barren, owing doubtless to the 

 effect of climate and culture. It is not neces- 

 sary that the two should be in close proximity; 

 they are sure to get impregnated if in the 

 same garden, as the pollen is carried about 

 from one flower to another by insects. The 

 beds of the different sorts may be kept entire- 

 ly separate. Mixing them up is a bad way, as 

 the one outgrows and overruns the other, and 

 they become so confused that nothing can be 

 done with them. On this account many have 

 grown tired of keeping up the distinction, and 

 have resolved to cultivate hermaphrodite sorts 

 only. 



The following varieties are the best on the 

 long lists of those w r e have tested on our own 

 grounds : 



Pistillate. — Burr's New Pine, Jenny's 

 Seedling, McAvoy's Superior, Hovey's Seed- 

 ling, Moyamensing, Monroe Scarlet, and Crim- 

 son Cone. The finest flavored variety among 

 these, is Burr's New Pine ; the largest, Ho- 



vey's Seedling; and the finest and best for 

 market, Jenny's Seedling and Crimson Cone. 

 Hovey's Seedling, in Western New York, and 

 in many parts of the west, is a very moderate, 

 and in many cases a poor bearer. We have 

 had no crop so heavy this season (when all bore 

 well) as on the Monroe Scarlet. 



Staminate, or Hermaphrodite. — Large 

 Early Scarlet, Walker's Seedling, Iowa, Iks- 

 ton Pine and Genesee. All these may be 

 pi-own* successfully for market, and are good 

 without being first-rate in flavor. We think 

 much more of Walker's Seedling Viow than 

 we did last season. It is very hardy,, and a 

 great bearer. It appears to be a seedling from 

 the Black Prince. The Boston Pine is the 

 most uncertain on the whole list; without good 

 soil and culture, it fails entirely. 



Beside the above list, we would recommend 



