274 
GEDDES’S HARROW. 
The fruit is quite large, w.th a neck, irregularly- 
shaped, approaching to ovate, and of a dark rich 
shining red hue; the seeds are unequal in size, and 
deeply embedded, with ridged intervals; the flesh is a 
pale scarlet, firm, hollow, with a core, of good quality, 
with some acidity. The berries should not be gath¬ 
ered until they assume a dark color, and are fully 
ripe, as otherwise the acidity of the fruit predominates, 
and injures their flavor.” 
To this very ample description, published fourteen 
years ago, I have nothing to add except in respect to 
one peculiarity of the fruit, which is that the point or 
extremity remains green long after the body of the 
berry begins to redden, and does not become red until 
the perfect maturity of the fruit. By far the greater 
proportion of the fruit of this variety is plucked when 
reddening and yet immature, which has caused it to 
be less esteemed; but if it is allowed to remain until 
fully matured, for which the reddening of the extremi¬ 
ty forms a conclusive guide, its sweetness and flavor 
is so much increased, that it may then be classed in 
excellence with our best varieties. It however re¬ 
quires a powerful sun to mature it fully, and the 
want of this heat has caused it to be condemned by 
the London Horticultural Society; but careful inves¬ 
tigation made the present season, has convinced me, 
as well as other amateurs of the strawberry to whom 
I submitted the fruit, that it ought to be reinstated in 
favor. I will further remark, that the berries of this 
variety detach very readily from the hull. 
I notice a reference by Mr. L. to the genuine stami- 
nate Keen’s seedling, and to a pistillate variety which 
he prefers for its abundant crops when fertilized. This 
latter is none other than the Methven scarlet misnam¬ 
ed, and which has been long sold at Philadelphia for 
the Keen’s seedling, as Mr. Downing avers» In re¬ 
gard to Hovey’s seedling, which being strongly pistil¬ 
late, and as Mr. L. states, utterly unproductive in all 
ordinary cases without fertilization, I will mention an 
extraordinary circumstance. A very large detached 
bed bore this season a fair crop of fruit, resulting pro¬ 
bably from a forced development of the stamens con¬ 
sequent upon the drought and extreme heat that exist¬ 
ed at the period of flowering, or possibly, but not 
probably, from pollen being conveyed to them by bees. 
In another garden .a bed of Hovey’s seedling growing 
by itself, which was barren last year, has this year 
been loaded with fruit, in consequence of the owner 
planting a bed of staminate plants near to it the last 
autumn. 
I will now make a few remarks, as to other vari¬ 
eties. The following appear to have perfect bisexual 
flowers, and are of course uniformly productive. Eng¬ 
lish white and red wood, all the monthly Alpines, 
both running and bush, prolific hautbois, large flat 
hautbois, large early scarlet, and Duke of Kent’s 
Scarlet, and another scarlet of twice the size of the 
last, without a name, which I call prolific scarlet; 
and also the green strawberry. The wild strawberry 
of this island, Fragaria Virginica, is found differing 
in sexual developments, and consequently in fruit¬ 
fulness, which accords with Mr. Longworth’s investi¬ 
gations as to the native varieties of the west. 
On the subject of the fertilization of abortive vari¬ 
eties, one most important point demands our attention, 
which appears to be very generally unknown. It is 
that there are distinct families of strawberries which 
never amalgamate . 
The European wood and Alpine varieties form one 
family; the hautbois ’varieties another; the scarlet, 
black, and pine form a third; and the green, I am 
inclined to think, forms a fourth, to which this re¬ 
striction will apply. It is therefore indispensable that 
the selection of staminate or pistillate varieties be 
made within these limits. You will thus perceive 
the fallacy of the suggestion made by our friend Mr. 
Hovey, of Boston (Mag. of Hort., No. CXIX, page 
402), that The Alpine strawberry offers the chance 
of great improvement, and perhaps by impregnation 
with the large sorts great size might be obtained, and 
its successive bearing retained.” 
The culture of the strawberry being somewhat of 
a hobby with me, I have concentrated from all quar¬ 
ters every possible variety, and I have now above 
sixty estimable varieties, after rejecting all that did 
not possess valuable properties. In addition thereto, 
I have above thirty beds of seedlings, each grown, 
from a choice and distinct variety, one of which is 
from the Montevideo Pine, the largest and most splen¬ 
did of all strawberries. I have the. present season 
selected from many thousands, eight very large and 
superior seedlings, distinct in origin and in their pro¬ 
perties, which I am now propagating rapidly, and 
will in due time announce to the public. Those who 
have a taste for the strawberry culture may derive 
much amusement from an inspection of my collection, 
and they are perfectly welcome to avail themselves 
of the opportunity. 
Montevideo Pine. —This most extraordinary vari¬ 
ety took the premium at the June semi-annual Exhibi¬ 
tion of the Flushing Horticultural Society. The entire 
plant is so strongly marked as to be readily distin¬ 
guishable from all others. The leaves are large,, 
heavy and rugose, the petioles strong and downy; 
the flowers as large and often larger than a dollar; 
the fruit pale red, obtusely conical, very regular and 
; perfect in form, with occasionally one of cockscomb 
shape, and remarkably beautiful; and those that ma¬ 
ture during the first two weeks are almost invariably 
three to four inches in circumference. The fruit be¬ 
gins ripening about the loth June, and continues in 
| regular bearing until the middle of July. Mr. Browne 
(author of the American Sylva), who saw it in print, 
stated it to be the identical strawberry he had seen in. 
the gardens of Montevideo. It was introduced to our 
country by Messrs. Prince, of Flushing, to whom the 
premium was awarded for its exhibition. The crim¬ 
son cone, and the genuine Prince Albert (two varie¬ 
ties being so called) are next to the- above in point of 
beauty and size. 
Wm, R. Prince. 
Prince's Linncean Garden and Nurseries, ) 
Flushing, Aug. 16, 1845. y 
GEDDES’THARROW. 
We noticed Mr. Geddes’ remarks in relation to our 
improvements of his harrow, page 218 of the July 
number of the Agriculturist. From considerable ex¬ 
perience we can assure him, that we think his harrow 
not only u improved for a prairie,” but also for the 
stony hills of New England, or, indeed, any other 
kind of soil. Our reasons for this opinion are the 
following: 1st. Teeth simply placed in the timbers of 
the harrow without fastening are continually getting 
loose, and the more ragged and stony the ground the 
greater the liability to do so. 2d. When loose they 
