Varieties. Hudson Or Scarlet

This variety is grown almost exclusively for the supply of the Philadelphia market; it appears to be distinct from what is known as the old Hudson, in New York, which Downing describes as having a neck, whereas the Philadelphia Hudson has none, (unless occasionally spontaneous seedlings are found with elongated crowns.) It is undoubtedly one of the best, though from want of skill in its culture it is frequently unfruitful. The fruitful and barren flowers are on separate plants, and as the barren are most vigorous, they are liable to take nearly exclusive possession; in such cases the inevitable result is, but little fruit is obtained. The proper method is to carefully cull them when in flower, (the experienced can detect them by the foliage as well as flowers,) exterminating the larger portion of the male or stami-niferous plants, as one in ten suffices to impregnate the pistiliferous or fruit-bearing flowers. Much has been said on this subject, and most positive denials of the fact here stated have been made, but after all it is incontrovertible, and remains a « fixed fact.' Our limits will not admit of embarking further in the controversy, which has been practically settled around Philadelphia for fifty years, by the German truck women, who may be seen in the spring, with their linsey petticoats and short-gowns, busily engaged plucking out the ' he plants,' as they term them.

"In France the Chili strawberry is highly esteemed, but as it requires foreign fertilization, they mix with it other varieties, and adopt artificial methods of impregnation. Duchesne has succeeded by cutting off the half-closed, or rather half-opened umbils of staminife-rous flowers, with foot-stalks from one to three inches long, which being placed in phials filled with water, were distributed among the Chili plants; the next day the blossoms opened and the impregnation was successfully completed.

"Many experiments with like results, have been practised by others, and what in some of the periodicals is called 'Longworth's theory,' is nothing more than that of the Philadelphia truck-women, from one of whom that gentleman, as he says, received the hint.

"Methven Scarlet, also termed Keene's seedling (erroneously), is a very large variety, sometimes exceeding five inches in circumference; it is but indifferently flavoured, but much admired for preserving. The flowers of this variety are pistilate (female), though stamens are also present, generally in an imperfect state, hence it fruits more surely in company with those which have strong staminate flowers, as for instance the Iowa, or the males of the Hudson.

"Hovey's Seedling (Fig. 164) was raised from the seed by the Messrs. Hovey, of Boston, some years since, and is one of the most desirable strawberries among us. It is of vigorous growth, withstands the winter equal to any other, produces fruit of an enormous size, and exquisite flavour; too much cannot be said in its praise. Mode of cultivation same as others; it does not, however, always produce fruit when planted alone, from a deficiency of pollen in the anthers, and in an unfavourable state of the weather, fails to produce fruit at all: the better plan, therefore, is to mix with it some other variety, as directed for the Methven scarlet, or grow others in immediate contiguity, where the flies and air can affect the impregnation. It is true, fine crops from this variety are sometimes produced where no other variety is within a considerable distance, but it is attributable to most favourable states of the weather, in which the scanty pollen is all available, and also to impregnation from seedlings, which are, more or less, in all beds of one year's standing, and some of which) proceeding from the old Hovey, have strong erect stamens, not unlike the Hudson males, with this difference, however, the pistil is fruitful and the fruit perfect.