1846, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
339 
THE STRAWBERRY. 
Mr. Tucker —In saying that the Elton is the same 
as the Methven Scarlet, I should have added, if the 
true kind had been sent me. Of this I have some doubt, 
as one of my neighbors informed me that his is stami- 
nate. In obtaining plants from nurseries, mistakes will 
occur. Many varieties are cultivated adjoining each 
Other, and it is almost impossible to keep them separate. 
As regards the character and habits of the strawberry 
plant, I wrote advisedly, not what I believe to be true, 
after one or two years’ experience, but what I know to 
be true, after twenty-five years’ constant attention to 
the subject. I wrote of the plant, not merely as it is 
in my garden or neighborhood, but as it will be found 
in all climates and in all soils. It is true that staminates 
will, in some seasons, soils and climates, be more pro¬ 
ductive than in others, but this does not affect the ge¬ 
neral principle. I wish my views to be fully understood, 
as some of our most intelligent Horticulturists now 
have their attention directed to the subject, and if I am 
in error, it will soon be made manifest. I hold that all 
varieties of the Pine and Scarlet strawberries, both in 
their native and cultivated state, never have the male 
and female organs perfect in all the blossoms in any 
large fruited variety. Indeed I know but one variety, 
(I believe it is the Duke of Kent,) that perfects all its 
fruit ; and this plant is unique—most of the blossoms 
are perfect in both organs; but a few of them are de¬ 
fective in the male organs, and have to depend on their 
neighbors for impregnation. The fruit is small, and 
like most of the staminates, early. I prefer the'Kent 
to all others as an impregnator, not only for its bear¬ 
ing and early maturity, but because it can, from its 
stem and leaf, be readily distinguished from the Hovey, 
and most other pistillates. I have one other staminate 
that I obtained from England, that has both organs per¬ 
fect in a large portion of the blossoms, and is, I believe, 
what is called the Virginia Scarlet. The fruit is larger 
than the Duke of Kent, and valuable as an impregnator. 
But where early staminates are used, there should be a 
few of the Downton inserted, as it is a very late bloom¬ 
er, and will impregnate the late pistillate blossoms after 
the Scarlet or Duke of Kent is out of bloom. 
The variety I got for the Downton, bears but little 
fruit, many of them flat, and is a plant different in its 
growth from any other species or variety that I have 
seen, and can be easily distinguished. What is now 
called the Virginia Scarlet, is, I believe, staminate. 
There is a pistillate Virginia Scarlet, with larger fruit. 
In raising from seed, in general, the number of sta¬ 
minate and pistillate plants are about equal; but if suf¬ 
fered to run even for a single season, the staminates will 
root out most of the pistillates. Of the staminates, by 
far the greater portion will be wholly defective in the 
female organs, and not bear a single fruit. Of the pis¬ 
tillates, I doubt if one will be found with the male or¬ 
gans sufficiently developed to produce any perfect fruit. 
With one staminate to ten or twelve pistillates, not one 
pistillate blossom will fail to bear a perfect fruit, unless 
crowded too close together, or killed by frost. 
A plant, perfect in both organs in all the blossoms, 
and producing a full crop of perfect fruit, would be a 
prodigy; and one of that character, producing fruit of 
the size of Hovey’s Seedling, cannot be produced. For 
such a plant, or one equalling the first perfect fruit of 
the Ross Phoenix, 1 will give $500. Mr. Keene, by his 
famous staminate seedling, made a fortune; yet I aver 
that his seedling and other staminates so much lauded—- 
the Wilmot’s Superb. Deptford Pine, Downton, Empe¬ 
ror, Swainstone Seedling, Iowa and Ross Phoenix, are 
of no value to cultivate for a crop, and will not, in any 
soil, or in any climate, in an average of years, produce 
perfect fruit on one half of the blossoms. I might safely 
say, not on one fourth. The fruit of most of them is 
large, and some of them of fine flavor. All the Iowas 
came originally from my garden. 
I can readily believe that you saw a bed of the Ross 
Phoenix more productive than the Hovey in its vicinity. 
The former, as far as they could be impregnated, ob¬ 
tained it at home. The Hovey had to depend on the 
bees to bring the farina from the Ross Phoenix, and 
may have been too far separated to bear one-fourth of % 
crop. I have never seen the Ross Phoenix, or any other, 
equal the Hovey in size. I have seen several quarts of 
the Hovey, at our horticultural meetings, from the field 
of Mr. Jackson, varying from four and a half to five one 
third inches in circumference, and these raised without 
any thinning of the fruit, to increase the size, or even 
thinning out the plants. I believe my staminates named 
are all genuine; if not, I venture to say, if the genuine 
be staminate, the character I have given of them will 
apply. The plant never changes its character. Be it 
staminate or pistillate, or perfect (if such a prodigy be 
produced,) cultivation, soil or climate will never change 
its character. 
I can readily understand why the Hautbois are so 
little cultivated, independent of the flavor of the fruit, 
which all do not admire. The Prolific Hautbois is said 
to be the only one that will bear. The Prolific is sta¬ 
minate, and will not perfect all its fruit. The Hautbois 
is a distinct species; it will not impregnate the Pines 
'or Scarlets. There are pistillates of this class, which 
if planted with the Prolific, will bear abundant crops. 
By planting the seed of the Prolific, pistillate plants 
will be produced, and would be in demand. 
N. Longworth. 
Newark, New-Jersey, Sept. 10 th, 1846. 
KITCHEN CHEMISTRY.—NO, IV 
SOAP. 
All fixed oils and fats, are capable of combination 
with caustic alkalies, in the formation of soaps. There 
are in commerce three varieties of soap; 1st, hard white 
soap, which is made of tallow with caustic soda; 2d, 
hard yellow soap , which is made from tallow, palm-oil, 
and resin, with caustic soda; and 3d, soft soap , which 
is a combination of some oil or fat with caustic potash. 
The great difference between hard and soft soap is this, 
—that the combinations of the fats or oils with soda, unite 
with water in chemical union, and form true solid hy¬ 
drates, —in a similar way that a certain portion of water 
unites with quick-lime in slacking, and becomes solid; 
while the compounds of oils or fats with potash, merely 
absorb water, and hence become a gelatinous mass. 
Potash and soda, as usually existing, are weakened by 
combination with earbonic acid; to form soap this 
must be removed, and the alkalies rendered caustic by 
the addition of lime. The presence of carbonic acid 
may always be discovered by adding an acid or strong 
vinegar, when it will cause effervescence. 
Hard white soap is made substantially as follows:— 
A solution of caustic soda, so strong that its specific 
gravity will be 1.05 is prepared, which has been rendered 
caustic by the addition of quick-lime, to take from it 
its carbonic acid. This solution, or soda-ley, is then 
made to boil, and the tallow is added in small portions 
at a time, until the soda is saturated, and will convert 
no more tallow into soap. The soap is then separated 
from the water by adding, gradually, common salt; the 
soap being insoluble in a solution of common salt, is 
separated and floats on the surface. A proper portion 
of salt must be added, so as not to deprive it of too 
much water, which its appearance will indicate; when 
it is run into wooden boxes, and cut by a wire into the 
forms it has in commerce. It thus usually contains 
from forty to fifty per cent, of water; if not over thirty, 
it is very hard; and if seventy, is not very soft. 
Soft soap is manufactured on a large scale, by heat¬ 
ing whale or seal oil,—with the addition of a portion of 
tallow to render it less liquid,—in large shallow pans, 
and gradually adding a strong solution of caustic potash, 
boiling, and continually agitating the mass, until the 
milkiness produced by the oil vanishes, and the whole be¬ 
comes nearly transparent, and the froth subsides. It is 
evaporated until the operator recognizes the proper 
consistency, and is then rapidly cooled. 
But as every good housewife makes her own soap, 
