THE STRAWBERRY. 
105 
things, I therefore am inclined to give a brief 
statement of the produce of some fruit-treesfiear 
me; and I am the more inclined to do this, not 
only from the fact that the public at large are 
quite eager to learn about fine fruit, but also to 
redeem a promise made some time since, that I 
would occasionally write an article for the pages 
of the American Agriculturist. 
There are three fruit-trees all growing within 
forty rods of my house, the produce of which the 
past season has been as follows: An apple-tree 
from which we gathered over six barrels of very 
fine Rhode Island greenings. A tree of the orange- 
pear which produced the past season ten barrels 
of pears. These pears have frequently sold for 
$2 per bushel—$40 worth have been sold from 
this tree in a single season. A tree of the autumn 
pear, (so called,) from which was gathered the 
past season over twelve barrels of fruit. These 
pears generally sell for one dollar the bushel. 
Perhaps some facts connected with the history of 
the last-mentioned tree may not be uninteresting. 
Some thirty years ago, my father employed one 
of those travelling itinerant grafting-men to set a 
few apple grafts for him ; when the job was about 
done, he solicited my father to permit him to set a 
few pear scions. This was objected to in conse¬ 
quence of the pear being so long coming into bear¬ 
ing; my father making the remark that he never 
should live to see them bear fruit. But finally, 
saying, that perhaps some of his children might 
possibly live to see them bear, he consented to 
have a few set. They were engrafted on the 
common thorn cut down below the surface of the 
ground. They grew vigorously, and the old gen¬ 
tleman lived to enjoy the fruits of his labors. The 
year previous to his death, (1835,) the tree above 
mentioned produced 33 bushels of pears. He sold 
them at $1 per bushel. A tree of the orange-pear 
engrafted at the same time, has generally yielded 
about one half as much fruit as the above. 
I do not mention the above as anything very 
extraordinary; for no doubt there are many other 
trees in our country much more productive than 
these. Indeed, there are several in this neigh¬ 
borhood nearly as valuable. In several instances 
I have gathered eighteen bushels of the Rhode 
Island greenings from a single tree. Nearly every 
one is fully convinced of the pleasure and profit to 
fee derived from cultivating choice fruit, and yet 
there is a natural disposition to defer it. The 
thought “ I never shall live to see them bear,” and 
the possibility that others may enjoy the fruits of 
their labors, deters many from doing anything 
that may benefit posterity. And yet what, richer 
legacy can a parent leave to his child ? And 
what is there that would be more likely to attach 
a child to the old homestead, than a well-cultiva¬ 
ted fruit garden? An acre or two planted with 
the most choice and select kinds of fruit, in ten or 
twenty years becomes worth a little fortune. 
Benjamin Hodge. 
Buffalo Nursery , ‘December , 1843. 
We regret that in the foregoing communication 
©ur friend Col. Hodge did not give us a description 
of his extensive nursery, which is one of the finest 
in western New York. He has long been engaged 
in the business of tree culture in all its varieties ; 
and his ground now comprises more than 100,000 
of all kinds of fruit and ornamental trees, besides 
an extensive collection of shrubs and flowering 
plants. The extensive demand from the country 
west of Buffalo, which has sprung up in conse¬ 
quence of the rapid settlement of the great lake 
regions of Michigan and its adjacent territories, 
have made that point a great resort for the supply 
of trees for western farmers. No country in the 
world perhaps yields finer apples, pears, plums, 
cherries, and quinces, and peaches, as well as the 
smaller fruits, than that bordering the great west¬ 
ern lakes; and we look forward to no distant day, 
when their waters, and those of the Erie canal, 
will teem with the luxuriant products of their 
orchards, destined for our city, and a foreign mar¬ 
ket. 
We are happy to know that public attention is 
more directed to this subject than formerly; and 
while good fruit is so easily and cheaply propa¬ 
gated, no resident on even one acre of ground 
should rest without planting and cultivating a 
liberal supply of choice fruit. We are promised 
in our next, from an experienced nurseryman, a 
list of the most valuable and popular fruits, with 
a short description of each for publication. 
THE STRAWBERRY. 
I have seen a communication signed S. S», in 
the 2d Volume of your periodical, and as no one 
has yet ventured a reply, I lay before you the 
present article, in the confident hope that it will 
satisfy the doubts of your able and ingenious cor¬ 
respondent. The error which he appears to have 
fallen into, arises from the rash spirit of generali¬ 
zation, which too often distinguishes writers who 
have a theory to sustain. This is an age of facts, 
and one of a practical character; and as I propose 
to try his communication by this rule, you will be 
better able to judge who is right. He says: “The 
strawberry, in its sexual parts, has one property 
corresponding with the almost entire vegetable 
kingdom; that is to say, to secure fructification, it 
has°the stamens and pistils (the male and female 
parts) on the same plant.” This I deny. The 
first authority that I shall offer is to be found in 
MTntosh’s Practical Gardener, page 368, and is 
as follows:— > . 
“ The Hautboy generally thrives best m light 
soils, and can scarcely be overdunged, as it is not 
so likely to be thrown into a superfluity of leaves 
by manure as some of the others. There are va¬ 
rious sorts of this species, all of them esteemed for 
their fine flavor ; one variety has the parts of fruc¬ 
tification so perfect, that it bears plentifully, being 
capable of fecundating itself; while some other 
varieties are so imperfect, that they contain the 
