40 
AMIE1UCAN AGHICULT UKIST. 
(E&arton, ©rrijarb, Caron, &c. 
CHAPTERS O N STR AWBERRIES. 
CHAPTER II. 
We will now endeavor to explain the sexual 
character of the strawberry. Although this 
subject has been frequently referred to, few 
persons, we believe, have any clear notions 
of the matter. This is not one of theory 
only, but of much practical importance. We 
have frequently heard complaints of straw¬ 
berry beds not bearing any fruit, although 
the plants were in good condition, and gave 
great promise of fruit, having been white 
with bloom. Now, if the character of the 
plant had been known by the owners of 
ihese beds, no such disappointment would 
have occurred. A peculiarity of sexual char¬ 
acter belongs to two species of the straw¬ 
berry, which we believe does not attach to 
the other species. If the wild plants of 
North America (the Virginiana) be carefully 
examined, it will be found that Qn some, all 
the blossoms are perfect, being furnished 
with both sexual organs, stamens and pistils. 
Such plants will bear fruit of themselves. 
Other plants will be found, all of whose blos¬ 
soms are entirely wanting in the male or¬ 
gans ; that is, stamens. Such plants being 
furnished only with pistils, or the germs of 
berries, will not perfect their fruit unless 
they are made fertile by the pollen coming 
from plants that have the male organs. 
The same is true of the Hautboy of Bohe¬ 
mia. The Common Wood Strawberry of 
Europe has always perfect blossoms, and so 
have the Alpine strawberries. The Grandi- 
flora, sometimes called Pine strawberries, 
and the Chili, frequently have both kinds of 
blossoms on the same plant, but have not a 
distinct separation of the different sexual 
organs ; that is, no plant is wanting in the 
male organs. These peculiarities of the dif¬ 
ferent species are propagated when plants 
are raised from seed. This peculiarity of 
the sexual character of the Hautboy straw¬ 
berry was long since noticed in England. 
Some kinds raised from the seed of the 
Hautboy were found to be very productive 
when in the vicinity of other Hautboy straw¬ 
berry plants, but were entirely barren when 
standing alone. Although this sexual nature 
of the Hautboy was well known in England, 
it was not supposed to be incident to any 
other kind. This may be accounted for, 
from the fact that nearly all the most es¬ 
teemed kinds grown in England for a long 
time have been raised from the Grandiflora, 
and therefore not subject to this anomaly. 
We have only known one or two varieties 
raised in England that were deficient in the 
male organs. But in the United States, 
where seedling plants have been raised from 
the Scarlet strawberry, and from the Pine 
and Scarlet combined, it has been no un¬ 
common thing for plants of these different 
sexual characters to be produced, and it has 
so happened that soineof our most esteemed 
and productive kinds have been wanting in 
stamens. Of these we might mention the 
Hudson Bay, Hovey’s Seedling, Burr’s New 
Pine, and McAvoy’s Su perior. All of these, 
from the smallness of their blossoms, we 
judge to be Seedlings, partaking of the 
nature of the Scarlet strawberry. The 
sexual character of the Hudson Bay was 
noticed many years since by the elder Mr. 
Prince, of Flushing, Long Island, who was 
in the practice of planting about ten plants 
having the male organs to one hundred of 
those having but the female organs. More 
recently, the same was practised by some 
German gardeners of Cincinnati, from whom 
the secret was learned by Mr. Longworlh, 
who made it known to the world. During 
the last ten years, much has been said and 
written on the subject. By many, the facts 
have been denied, but in all cases, it has 
been found that they have been either de¬ 
ceived in the kinds with which they ex¬ 
perimented, or did not take sufficient cau¬ 
tion to prevent the plants from being impreg¬ 
nated by others in their neighborhood. Some 
again have contended that plants change 
their character from difference of soil or 
season ; but this has in no case been really 
the fact. New plants spring up very rapidly 
from seed, which," being undiscovered till 
full grown, and being of a different sexual 
character from those planted, have been sup¬ 
posed to have really changed their habits. 
Again, plants purchased from nurserymen 
have frequently been mixed. Sometimes 
plants have been sent out under wrong 
names. 
The strawberries in cultivation maybe di¬ 
vided with respect to their sexual character 
into three classes. 
1st. Plants in which the blossoms are all 
perfect; that is, having both pistils and sta¬ 
mens. Such plants will fruit by themselves, 
and on that account are preferable, provided 
they are as productive as the other kinds. 
But nearly all of these are liable to blast; 
some more and some less. These are called 
Hermaphrodite or Staininate plants. 
2nd. Plants in which the stamins or male 
organs are wanting. Plants of this charac¬ 
ter are usually productive, provided they are 
impregnated by kinds having male organs. 
These are called pistillate or female plants. 
3d. Plants on whicli some of the blos¬ 
soms are perfect, while others want the male 
organs. We have no name for this class of 
plants—they are usually called Hermaphro¬ 
dite. 
These three kinds never change their 
character by being propagated from runners; 
but when their seed is sown, the plants thus 
raised may be of either of three kinds. 
The difference between Staininate and 
Pistillate (male and female) Strawberry 
plants will be made more plain to the com¬ 
mon reader in our next chapter, by the use 
of cuts, &c. 
(To be Continued.) 
MORE SEE DS OFFE RED EREE. 
Wyandot Corn. —Mr. V. M. Hodgson, Secre¬ 
tary of White Plains Horticultural Society, White 
Plains, N. Y , has a small quantity of the Wyan¬ 
dot Corn, of his own raising, of which he will 
send enough for planting 20 or 30 hills, to any of 
our readers who may wish to give it a trial. Any 
one asking for it will of course furnish a prepaid, 
directed envelope. 
Swrkt Corn. —Dr. J. A. Brenneman, of Rock 
Grove, Stephenson County, III., writes us that he 
has a variety of Sweet Corn, different from the 
common kind, which has grown very thrifty, some 
of the ears being sixteen inches in length, with 
two and three on a stalk. He proposes to send 
a few kernels to any subscribers of the Agricultu¬ 
rist on the same terms as above. 
THE CURRANT. 
There are no more desirable accessories 
to the garden than our small fruits, whether 
cultivated for profit or family use. We have 
before had something to say on the subject, 
and recur to it again, not alone for the bene¬ 
fit of our numerous new subscribers, but be¬ 
cause Horticultural knowledge, like other 
kinds of knowledge, is necessarily conveyed | 
by “ line upon line, precept upon precept.” 
We shall confine the present article to the 
Currant. Some may think it needless to 
give directions for cultivating the currant, 
since almost everybody who has a garden 
grows it. But we think not. To grow a 
plant involves the idea of cultivation and 
care ; at least, it includes something more 
than sticking a plant in a hole, and gathering 
the fruit in the course of time. If this be 
true, then probably not more than one in a 
hundred grows the currant; it grows itself, 
and no thanks to any body. We know of 
no plant more neglected than this, and we r 
know of none that yields a more generous 
return for proper care. No fact in Horticul¬ 
tural science is better established, than that 
high culture is a wise economy. This re¬ 
mark will apply to the currant with peculiar 
force. It is true, so generous is its nature, 
it will from year to year produce a moderate ! 
crop under very bad treatment; but when 
judiciously cultivated, the product is won¬ 
derfully augmented in quantity, quality and 
size. In addition to this latter fact, a healthy, 
well-grown, symmetrical plant, gladsome 
with its peculiar treasure, always produces 
an emotion of pleasure in the beholder: a 
matter of no small moment to those who 
would extract pleasure even from the sweat 
of our brow. If, then, additional profit, as 
well as no small degree of pleasure, will re¬ 
sult from the application of skill and care to 
the treatment of the currant, let it by all 
means be done. Let it no longer be thrust 
into a corner, or some other out-of-the-way 
place, but bring it out into the open air and 
genial sunshine, and minister properly to its I 
wants. It is almost useless to attempt to 
bring into shape, vigor and productiveness, 
old, unsightly, and half-decayed plants. It ’ 
is better to begin anew. We do not like 
plants grown from suckers. Procure those 
grown from cuttings, and remove all the ■ 
eyes and shoots so as to produce a clean j| 
stalk a foot or more high, above which the 
head should be formed. This stalk must al¬ 
ways be kept free from shoots. 
Let the ground be trenched a couple ol 
feet deep, and incorporate with it an abun¬ 
dant supply of well-rotted manure. In 
planting, remove enough earth to spread the |i 
roots out in their natural position, cutting off 
all that are bruised; and be careful not to 
plant too deep. Tie the plant to a small 
stake till it becomes established ; thin out 
