Chap. XI. FRUIT. 399 



on peach-trees to the direct action of pollen from some neighbouring 

 nectarine-tree. Several of the cases are highly remarkable, because, 

 firstly, the fruit thus produced has sometimes been in part a 

 nectarine and in part a peach ; secondly, because nectarines thus 

 suddenly produced have reproduced themselves by seed ; and thirdly, 

 because nectarines are produced from peach-trees from seed as 

 well as from buds. The seed of the nectarine, on the other hand, 

 occasionally produces peaches ; and we have seen in one instance 

 that a nectarine-tree yielded peaches by bud-variation. As the 

 peach is certainly the oldest or primary variety, the production 

 of peaches from nectarines, either by seeds or buds, may perhaps 

 be considered as a case of reversion. Certain trees have also 

 been described as indifferently bearing peaches or nectarines, and 

 this may be considered as bud-variation carried to an extreme- 

 degree. 



The grosse mignonne peach at Montreuil produced "from a 

 sporting branch" the grosse mignonne tardive," & most excellent 

 variety/' which ripens its fruit a fortnight later than the parent 

 tree, and is equally good. 2 This same peach has likewise produced 

 by bud-variation the early grosse mignonne. Hunt's large tawny 

 nectarine " originated from Hunt's small tawny nectarine, but not 

 through seminal reproduction." 3 



Plums. — Mr. Knight states that a tree of the yellow magnum 

 bonum plum, forty years old, which had always borne ordinary 

 fruit, produced a branch which yielded red magnum bonums. 4 

 Mr. Eivers, of Sawbridgeworth, informs me (Jan. 1863) that a 

 single tree out of 400 or 500 trees of the Early Prolific plum, which 

 is a purple kind, descended from an old French variety bearing 

 purple fruit, produced when about ten years old bright yellow 

 plums ; these differed in no respect except colour from those on 

 the other trees, but were unlike any other known kind of yellow 

 plum. 5 



Cherry (Prunus cerasus), — Mr. Knight has recorded (ibid.) the 

 case of a branch of a May-Duke cherry, which, though certainly 

 never grafted, always produced fruit, ripening later, and more 

 oblong than the fruit on the other branches. Another account 

 has been given of two May-Duke cherry-trees in Scotland, with 

 branches bearing oblong and very fine fruit, which invariably 

 ripened, as in Knight's case, a fortnight later than the other cherries." 

 M. Carriere gives (p. 37) numerous analogous cases, and one of the 

 same tree bearing three kinds of fruit. 



Grapes ( Vitis vinifera). — The black or purple Frontignan in 



7 'Gardener's Chron.,' 1854. p. 821. 4 'Transact. Hort. Soc.,' vol. ii. p. 



* Lindley's 'Guide to Orchard,' as 160. 



quoted in ' Gardener's Chron.' 1852, p. 5 See also 'Gardiner's Chron., 



821. For the Early mignonne peach, 1863, p. 27. 



see ' Gardener's Chron.,' 1864, p. 6 ' Gard. Chror.,' 1852, p. 821. 

 1251. 



