CiiAr. XXL NATUKAL SELECTION. 217 



varieties are known to resist their attacks mucli better.^^ In 

 North America the smoothness, or absence of down on the 

 fruit, makes a great difference in the attacks of the weevil, 

 " which is the uncompromising foe of all smooth stone-fruits ;" 

 and the cultivator " has the frequent mortification of seeing 

 nearly all, or indeed often the whole crop, fall from the trees 

 when half or tAvo-thirds grown." Hence the nectarine 

 suffers more than the peach. A particular variety of the 

 Morello cherry, raised in North America, is, without any 

 assignable cause, more liable to be injured by this same insect 

 than other cherry-trees.^^ From some unknown cause, certain 

 varieties of the apple enjoy, as we have seen, the great ad- 

 vantage in various parts of the world of not being infested by 

 the coccus. On the other hand, a j)articular case has been re- 

 corded in which aphides confined themselves to the \\ inter Nelis 

 pear and touched no other kind in an extensive orchard.-^" The 

 existence of minute glands on the leaves of peaches, nectarines, 

 and apricots, would not be esteemed by botanists as a charac- 

 ter of the least importance for they are present or absent in 

 closelv-related sub-varieties, descended from the same narent- 

 tree ; yet there is good evidence ^^ that the absence of 

 glands leads to mildew, which is highly injurious to these 

 trees. 



A difference either in flavour or in the amount of nutriment 

 in certain varieties causes them to be more eagerly attacked 

 by various enemies than other varieties of the same species. 

 Bullfinches (Pyrrhula vulgaris) injure our fruit-trees by 

 devouring the flower-buds, and a pair of these birds have 

 been seen " to denude a large plum-tree in a couple of days of 

 almost every bud ;" but certain varieties^^ of the apple and 

 thorn [Cratcsgus oxyacautha) are more especially liable to 

 be attacked. A striking instance of this was observed in 

 Mr. Eivers's garden, in Nvhich two rows of a particular 



2* J. De Jonghe, in ' Gardener's ^^ ' Journal of Horticulture,' Sept. 



Chronicle,' 1860, p. 120. 26th, 1865, p. 254; see other re- 



2* Downing, 'Fruit-trees of North ferences given in chap. x. 



America,' pp. 266, 501 : in regai'd to ^ Mr. Stlby, in ' Mag. of Zoology 



the cherry, p. 198. and Botany', Edinburgh, vol. ii., 1838, 



« * Gardener's Chronicle,' 1849, p. p. 393. 

 ?55. 



y 



