128 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



November 29th. 



The President, Dr. Kuschenberger, in the Chair. 

 Thirty-three members present. 



The report of the Microscopical and Biological Section for Sep- 

 tember, October and November was read, and referred to the Pub- 

 lication Committee. 



The publication of pages 10^ to 124 inclusive, of the Proceedings 

 for 1870 was announced. 



The following gentlemen were elected members : 



E. Wildman, M. D., David L. Collier, William H. Dougherty, 

 W.H. Wahl, M. D., Chas. Schaffner, M. D., J. EwingMear?; M.D. 



On favorable report of the Committees the following papers were 

 ordered to be printed. 



BTJD VARIETIES. 

 BY THOMAS MEEHAN. 



A few years ago, Mr. Isaac Burk, of the Academy, called my attention to a 

 form of Rubus villosus, L., in which the terminal leaflet was very large, cor- 

 date, and on very long petioles. It is a very striking variety, the leaflets 

 appearing at first glance like large linden leaves. He found them in Dela- 

 ware County. I have since gathered the same form near the intersection in 

 Chester County, near Port Clinton on the Reading Railroad, and along the 

 west bank of the Susquehanna, between Harrisburg and the mouth of the 

 Juniata. 



The general forms of Rubus villosus are found uniformly in all parts of the 

 State, and, of course, without any break in their appearance between the 

 localities named above. The plant so easily maintains its existence by pieces 

 of roots, and grows as well in sunshine as in shade, in dry and poor as well 

 as in rich and damp places, that it is not easily eradicated when once it obtains 

 possession of the soil. On the idea that varieties originated from one common 

 centre, it is not easy to account for the existence of the same forms so many 

 miles apart, as we find in the above, except by the accidental carrying of seeds. 



But I have reason to believe that seeds of Rubus rarely germinate in a wild 

 state. In experiments which I have made in raising the seed artificially, none 

 of the seedlings come exactly like the parent. There is a certain general 

 resemblance, but some distinction, more or less, can be traced in each indi- 

 vidual But, in native places, one exact form will be found to occupy exten- 

 sive tracts. Sometimes several forms will be together, but only a very few. 

 If the seeds made plants readily, there would be innumerable forms, instead 

 of the very few we see. I found, in my experiments, that it took a long time 

 for a blackberry seed to germinate ; sometimes a whole year. Such seedlings 

 have a poor chance to vegetate in a state of nature. Other more rapidly- 

 growing vegetation would crowd it out. The only distributing agency I can 

 think of is that of birds. But I find no birds eat blackberry seeds; and, if 

 they did, when we consider that of the millions of seeds which fall about the 

 place of their origin, few, if any grow ; the chance of those growing which 

 birds may carry, even if there be some to eat them, which I have failed to 

 find, is extremely small. Hence, we find great difficulty in believing that 

 identical forms of Rubus, widely separated, can have originated from a com- 

 mon centre. 



Something like this exists in some forms of Rubus occidentalis. There is a 

 form with a fruit having soft pulp, of a light purplish red, and comparatively 

 few seeds. This is known amongst botanists, though I do not know that a 



[Nov. 



