New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 307 
On SeEnEectinc Potten PLANTS FoR CROSSING THE STRAWBERRY. 
It would seem that there is a field for careful study in making 
_ crosses or originating new varieties. One finds an early variety 
of fine flavor but a poor yielder, and often the first thought is to 
supply it with pollen from a more productive one, even if much 
later, hoping to transmit at once the productiveness of one to the 
earliness and quality of the other. Or fruits are chosen here and 
there from a patch containing several varieties, and the chances 
taken that they will produce something better than the original. 
We have had growing on the Station grounds the last two years 
1,000 seedlings, many of them crosses, and of that number but 
twenty have been saved as showing any indications of being 
superior to the varieties of which they are seedlings. But in the 
study of them, several valuable hints have been learned, which 
will be taken advantage of when occasion offers. In the following 
table will be found the variation in the different crosses, as 
well as those seedlings frdm fruits that were not artificially 
crossed. | 
It would appear that a variety as vigorous, and as well supplied 
with pollen, as the Sharpless would be more potent to carry its 
pollen than one of the habit of Lennig White, which, although a 
good grower, has but few blossoms and but little pollen. But as 
the reverse has been a fact in this case, it would seem that in . 
improving a very late pistillate variety of rugged habits and fine 
flavor, but blooming after all the staminate varieties had mainly 
ripened their fruit, it would be of great advantage to know and 
use a pollen variety most likely to perpetuate itself in the blossom 
while the other characteristics of the seedling follow the strong 
growth and fine flavor of the pistillate plant. 
