192 



Proceedings of the Horticultural Society. 

 December ith. 

 A LONG paper was read upon the pears chiefly cultivated in the Carse 

 of Gowrie. To residents in that part of the kingdom, it would doubt- 

 less prove highly interesting", on account of the pains and accuracy 

 with which it had evidently been prepared ; but from what we could 

 gather from hearing it read, there is great need of reform in the 

 fruit of the Carse of Gowrie, the very best of which is scarcely compa- 

 rable to the worst of that which we Southrons reject as valueless. 

 A dish of Litchi fruit, from China, a delicious kind of nut contain- 

 ing a substance very like a Guimaraens plum, was placed upon the 

 table. By the side of this was stationed a fine specimen of the 

 Ananassa bracteata, a Brazilian pine-apple, which is remarkable both 

 as a splendid flower and a delicate fruit. 



December ISfh. 



The most striking objects upon the table were some specimens of 

 apples, which, it was stated, had been altered in external appearance 

 by the influence of other kinds, the blossoms of which hung near 

 them. This is a fact, which, if true, is utterly inexplicable to the 

 philosopher ; but in favour of which, it must be confessed, that 

 there are many well attested cases which compel attention to the cir- 

 cumstances. It has been long asserted, that if two varieties of fruit 

 grow in the vicinity of each other, and the one is influenced by the 

 male pollen of the other,not only an ultimate eifect is produced upon 

 the seed of the variety so influenced, but an immediate and obvious 

 change takes place in the external characters of the fruit ; thus if a 

 green apple is affected by the pollen of a yellow apple, the former 

 will become yellow, and so on. Now, as far as we know, the fe- 

 cundating aura of the pollen only affects the stigma, the stig- 

 matic duct, and the ovulum, all exceedingly minute parts, wholly 

 inclosed from external observation, and having as little connexion 

 as possible with the coats of the fruit ; and in the apple and all 

 fruit, the mass of which consists of floral envelopes in a succulent 

 state, connexion is most completely interrupted between the parts 

 affected by the pollen, and the external coating. AH that we can 

 say is, that appearances are in favour of the assertion above re- 

 ferred to, and theory against it. 



January 1st, 1828. 



We were surprised at seeing at this meeting some fine bunches 

 of asparagus, which had not the sickly, unnatural appearance of a 



