NEw YORK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 515 
varieties which are imperfect, 7. ¢., in which the blossoms contain no 
stamens in addition to the pistils, such as Cardinal, Columbia, Mark 
Hanna, Nettie, President, etc., be planted the result is usually a 
failure. Non-fertilization or incomplete fertilization is usually in- 

PERFECT FLOWER. IMPERFECT, OR PISTILLATE, FLOWER. 
dicated by an abundance of nubbins, berries with hard greenish 
undeveloped apex. Heavy and continuous rains, unusually cool 
temperatures, or the absence of pollen-distributing insects at blos- 
soning time, may, however, greatly decrease the setting of fruit of 
even those varieties most prolific in pollen bearing. These two 
classes should not be set in the same row, but from one to three 
rows of imperfect varieties may alternate with from one to three 
rows of perfect varieties. The kind of pollen does not appear to 
influence the character of the fruit. The berries of Senator Dun- 
lap, for instance, always seem the same in size, color, shape and 
flavor, no matter whether the pollen be supplied from Chesapeake, 
Fairfield, Marshall, or Joe, which differ widely. 
Selection of plants.— Plants in old beds are usually weakened 
in vitality and often more or less diseased. The best ones obtain- 
able should be used. ‘These as a rule may be found in well-cared- 
for yearling beds which have not yet fruited. Systematic selection 
intelligently followed for a series of years should result in an im- 
proved strain. If the so-called “ pedigree” plants are superior to 
others it is because of this practice of intelligent, long-continued 
selection along desired lines of improvement. 
Distance apart of plants—-It is a common occurrence to see 
plants crowded closely together in the row. A certain amount of 
moisture is essential to good size and yield. This cannot be secured 
under such crowded conditions. The distance apart of the rows 
