THE CULTIVATOR. 
1846. 
attention in selecting- seed would in a few years greatly 
remedy that. The butts of the ears are too large— 
holding so much sap or moisture, as to prevent the ear 
and grain from readily drying. It is of much impor¬ 
tance that the crop should be in condition to be stored 
at the earliest posssible period; as a difference of a few 
days in this respect may greatly affect the value of the 
crop. The smaller the cob and butt, the quicker the 
corn will become dry and fit to put in the crib. 
Browse for Cattle. —Mr. Clark Rich, of Shore- 
ham, Vt., informs us that cattle and sheep can be kept 
well on browse alone. We have no doubt of the fact, 
as we have known instances where it has been done. 
Mr. R. states that last spring, (1846,) the farmers in 
portions of Pennsylvania and Ohio, near lake Erie, 
were compelled to take their stock to the w r oods daily, 
in order to support them through the winter. It was 
extremely dry there the previous season, so that the hay 
crop almost entirely failed, making it necessary to de¬ 
pend on browse for fodder. Yet Mr. R. says he heard 
many say their cattle never came out better in the 
spring. 
Correction. —By some unaccountable mistake, in 
the list of pears on p. 336, last No., the name Julienne 
was printed “ Indiana.” 
“ C. P. Wheeler.” —We shall be glad if any of our 
subscribers can inform us of the whereabouts of this 
man, who formerly acted as agent for “ The Cultiva¬ 
tor,” at Lexington, Mass., and forgot to pay for the pa¬ 
pers he ordered. 
THE STRAWBERRY CONTROVERSY. 
[Although the question in regard to the sexual cha¬ 
racter of the strawberry has been considerably discussed, 
we think the following very able article, written by 
the Rev. H. W. Beecher, for the Western Farmer 
and Gardener, will be read with interest, and will be 
regarded as placing the subject for the future beyond 
controversy.] 
No man will deny, that in their cultivated state, straw¬ 
berries are found, in respect to their blossoms, in three 
conditions: first, blossoms with stamens alone, the pis¬ 
tillate organs being mere rudiments; second, blossoms 
with pistillate organs developed fully, but the stamens 
very imperfect and inefficient; third, blossoms in which 
staminate and pistillate organs are both about equally 
developed. 
There are two questions arising on this state of facts, 
one, a question of mere vegetable physiology, viz; is 
such a state of organization peculiar to this plant origi¬ 
nally, or is it induced by cultivation? The other ques¬ 
tion is one of eminent practical importance, viz: what 
effect has this state or organization upon the success of 
cultivation? 
Passing by the first question, for the present, we 
would say of the second that, a substantial agreement 
has, at length, been obtained. It is on all hands con¬ 
ceded that staminate plants, or those possessing only 
stamens, and not pistillate organs, are unfruitful. Any 
other opinion would now be regarded as an absurdity. 
It is equally well understood that pistillate plants, or 
those in which the female organs are fully, and the 
male organs scarcely at all developed, are unfruitful. 
No one would attempt to breed a herd of cattle from 
males exclusivehj, or from females; and, for precisely 
the same reason, strawberries cannot be had from plants 
substantially male, or substantially female, where each 
are kept to themselves. 
But a difference yet exists among cultivators as to the ! 
facts respecting those blossoms which contain both male | 
and female organs, or, as they are called, perfect flower¬ 
ing plants. 
Mr. Longworth states, if we understand him, sub- 
„ stantially, that perfect flowering varieties will bear but 
moderate crops, and, usually, of small fruit. 
On the other hand, Dr. Brinkle, whose seedling 
strawberries we noticed in our last number, Mr. Down¬ 
ing, and several other eminent cultivators, adopt the 
contrary opinion, that, with care , large crops of large 
fruit may be obtained from perfectly flowering plants. 
The question is yet, then, to be settled. 
It is ardently to be hoped that, hereafter, we shall 
have less premature and positive assertion, upon unripe 
observations, than has characterized the early stages of 
this controversy. We will take the liberty of following 
Mr. Hovey in his Magazine, between the years 1842 
and 1846, not for any pleasure that we have in the sin¬ 
gular vicissitudes of opinion chronicled there, but be¬ 
cause an eminent cultivator, writer, and editor of, hith¬ 
erto, the only horticultural magazine in our country, 
has such influence and authority in forming the morals 
and customs of the kingdom of horticulture, that every 
free subject of this beautiful realm is interested to have 
its chief men of such accuracy that it will not be dan¬ 
gerous to take their statements. 
In 1842, Mr. Longworth communicated an article on 
the fertile and sterile characters of several varieties of 
strawberries for Mr. Hovey ? s Magazine, which Mr. H. s 
for subject matter, endorsed. In the November number, 
Mr. Coit substantially advocated the sentiments of Mr. 
L., and the editor, remarking upon Mr. Coit’s article, 
recognized distinctly the existence of male and female 
plants. 
He (Mr. H.) says that of four kinds mentioned by 
Mr. C. as unfruitful, two "were so “from the want of 
staminate or male plants f and “ the cause of the bar¬ 
renness is thus easily explained .” And he goes on to 
explain divers cases upon this hypothesis; and still 
more resolutely he says, that all wild strawberries have 
not perfect flowers; (i in a dozen or two plants which 
we examined last spring, some were perfect, (the italics 
are ours,) having both stamens and pistils; others, only 
pistils, and others, only stamens; thus showing that the 
defect mentioned by Mr. Longworth exists in the origin 
nal species .” He closes by urging cultivators to set 
rows of Early Virginia among the beds for the sake of 
impregnating the rest. 
Mr. Hovey’s next formal notice was exactly one year 
from the foregoing, November, 1843, and it appears 
thus: “We believe it is now the generally received 
opinion of all intelligent cultivators (italics are ours 
again,) that there is no necessity of making any distinc¬ 
tion in regard to the sexual character of the plants 
when forming new beds. The idea of male and female, 
plants, first originated, we believe, by Mr. Longworth, 
of Ohio, is now considered as exploded Such a sudden 
change as this was brought about, he says, by additional 
information received during that year by means of his 
correspondents, and by more experience on his own 
part. He says nothing of male blossoms and female 
blossoms, which he had himself seen in wild strawberries. 
Mr. Hovey then assumed the theory that cultivation, 
good or bad, is the cause of fertile or unfertile beds of 
strawberries, and he says: “ in conclusion, we think we 
may safely aver, that there is not the least necessity of 
cultivating any one strawberry near another (our ita¬ 
lics) to ensure the fertility of the plants, provided they 
are under a proper state of cultivation.” 
Mr. Hovey now instituted experiments, which he 
promised to publish, by which to bring the matter to 
tiie only true test; and he, from time to time, repro¬ 
mised to give the result to the public, which, thus far, 
we believe, he has forgotten to do. 
His magazine for 1844 opens as that of 1843 closed; 
and in the first number he says: “ the oftener our at¬ 
tention is called to this subject, the more we feel con¬ 
firmed in the opinion that the theory of Mr. Longworth 
is entirely unfounded; that there is no such thing as 
male and female plants , though certain causes may 
produce, as we know they have, fertile and sterile 
ones.” 
Nevertheless, in the next issue but one, this peremp¬ 
tory language is again softened dow : n, and a doubt even 
appears, when he says, “ If Mr. Longworth's theory 
should prove true, <§rc.” We, among others, waited 
anxiously for the promised experiments; but, if pub¬ 
lished, we never saw them. The subject rather died 
out of his Magazine until August, 1845, when, in speak- 
