THE STRAWBERRY. 
179 
cisely in the same way; for the stamens are ab¬ 
sent in the strawberry, increasing the pistils, or 
sometimes the stamens and pistils, increasing 
probably the number of the flowers only. Presi¬ 
dent Smith, referred to, says that the stamens are 
often obliterated by excessive nourishment. So 
the strawberry, though the bed is white with flow¬ 
ers, will frequently produce no seed or berries, or 
at least but a stray one. 
Our climate appears well suited to grow the 
double flowering plants; for instance, the double 
cherry, almond, the double apple, stock, and car¬ 
nation, as well as the rose. The dahlia is said to 
grow or double better than in England or South 
America, where it is a native; that is, it doubles 
more and seeds less. Nothing, too, is more fre¬ 
quent than that a young tree is found too vigorous 
in our climate (the pear particularly) to bear fruit. 
The books direct the bleeding of them, cutting off 
the roots, and sometimes taking up and replanting 
them, not the destroying them because they are he ! 
The writer has frequently observed that the mod¬ 
ern French grafted pears (on quince stocks) will 
bear the jftrs^and second years after setting out, 
and then will take a start and grow vigorously 
in leaves, wood, and flowers, but give no fruit; 
and where the stock of the pear-tree is of its own 
kind, and in rich soil, it seldom bears sooner than 
nine or ten years. The dahlia, under poor culti¬ 
vation, goes back to its seed and single condition. 
The writer transplanted a good bed of raspber¬ 
ries (being too much exposed) to a rich light soil, 
formerly deeply trenched and well treated for as¬ 
paragus. The raspberries run seven or eight feet 
high, but he had for three years no raspberries; 
he put them on a similar spot to that whence he 
had taken them, and the second year had a good 
crop. Now I believe, if the flowers had been ex¬ 
amined, they would have been found imperfect; 
that is, the twenty or more stamens, and the many 
pistils, would not have been found. The farmer 
experiences here, the same principle; if he too 
highly manures his grain, he gets straw, not 
wheat—the blossoms not being probably perfect, 
which is a desideratum in all cultivation except in 
flowers. 
Nothing, it is believed, more frequently fails, 
than the fine kinds of new seedling strawberries. 
To remedy this, the strawberry must not be planted 
in the richest bed of the garden, and there must 
be no rank or strong manure applied to it. In the 
fall, bring about the roots a little virgin soil and 
decayed leaves if you have them. Protect them 
not with dung, but a little salt hay, if you can 
obtain it, or the boughs of cedar or other evergreens 
will answer to screen them from the winds, which 
is probably all the protection they require, as the 
strawberry is indigenous to our cold climate. This 
is my treatment, and I have known a bed of he- 
strawberries go back from their he state, until 
they got in a family way, and produced abundance 
of fruit. 
The treatment recommended will probably not 
always, nor perhaps generally give a prolific yield 
of the new kinds of large strawberries. I fear 
these new varieties are not well suited, at least, 
for the New York climate. Our market-men run 
on the Hudson, which is, though large, an old va¬ 
riety, and probably indigenous to America; at all 
events this variety is not so apt to be termed lie , 
but generally yields plenty of berries. 
The old white and red hautboys and Chilies, and 
the early scarlet, were with us a sure crop and 
good fruit. I can not say so much for the large 
new varieties ; their berries in quantity and quality 
are not generally equal to the small kinds referred 
to—certainly not in quality to the wild strawberry. 
The Dawnton, Keens seedlings, and Hovey seed¬ 
lings, are all in poor repute as bearers; and yet 
the new varieties are so magnificent in appearance 
(none more so than Hovey’s), and not had either, 
that I am in hopes your readers will try my cure 
for their sterile properties. It is believed that the 
advanced doctrine explains the whole mystery of 
what is called he and she strawberries; and the 
writer hopes it may lead to a rational plan to im¬ 
prove their cultivation. 
The philosophy of my remedy is based on the 
fact, that the strawberry is a delicate feeder. Un¬ 
like the grape, it repudiates and abhors the whole 
class of rich dungs, urates, poudrettes, and guano; 
for the wild strawberry is found both in the woods 
on a virgin soil, and on poor sandy hills. 
Mr. Hovey’s first bed was, he says, very prolific. 
Mr. H. put in the seed, Providence took care of 
them, made them male and female in the same 
domicil. Mr. H., the next year, probably wanted 
to make—what? strawberries? no, but straw¬ 
berry runners, and every person to whom he sent 
them, believing they were a good kind, set about 
making runners, for sale, and they have got them. 
The writer visited an amateur strawberry gen¬ 
tleman this spring, who had various kinds. His 
Hovey bed was taken peculiar care of, so that he 
could present his friends some. The writer asked 
him if they had borne well ? He replied they 
were very large—he would find him one; after 
some little time, one was found, very large, and if 
strawberries were raised, to be looked at, or taken 
in small quantities, like medicine, then under the 
present treatment, they would answer. The run¬ 
ners of these vines in the garden referred to, were 
four feet long. Mr. Longworth says a plant in his 
garden, in one year, covered with runners three 
square feet of ground. Now no plant will do 
both ; make a large amount of stems, foliage, and 
runners, and bear fruit or berries at the same time. 
Mr. Hovey has a good strawberry, if he will 
preserve its natural perfections, and as fast as he 
finds nature is varied from, endeavor to restore it; 
and he should never distribute young plants, ex¬ 
cept they are strawberry plants which produce 
stamens’and pistils. But as Mr. Longworth pre¬ 
fers a strawberry of the Hovey kind, without 
stamens (and this is one of the principles so 
much lauded), perhaps Mr. Hovey should be ex¬ 
cused for selling such. The Cultivator, too, says, 
Mr. L. “ accounts so truly for the manner in which 
many disappointments have arisen,” and teaches 
so clearly “the manner in which such failures 
may be avoided.” The plan is this—nine Hovey’s 
female seedlings with one male Hudson ! Mr. L. 
says in the article, “ being defective in the male 
organ increases its value”! “ But it is necessary 
