VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY. 21 



formation either of flower buds or of leaf buds, or rather 

 that some circumstances will cause the evolution of either 

 of them from the same bud. A fact recorded in the Linnaean 

 Transactions in some measure favors this opinion. The 

 Solandra grandiflora, a native of Jamaica, had been long 

 cultivated in the English stoves, and propagated by means of 

 cuttings ; but none of the plants ever displayed any signs of 

 fructification. They had been always well supplied with water. 

 One plant, by accident, was left without being watered in the 

 dry stove at Kew : the consequence was, that the branches were 

 much stunted in their growth, and flowers were produced. The 

 experiment has been frequently repeated with success. It 

 appears, that whatever checks the luxuriance of the leaves, tends 

 to the formation of flowers and seeds. 



For the purpose of converting leaf buds into flower buds, 

 various expedients may be used with advantage : such as scoring 

 the bark to the wood very deeply with a knife, twisting a wire 

 tightly round the stem, or by cutting off a cylinder of the bark, 

 and replacing it with a bandage. 



It is said that there is an intermediate species of bud, which 

 retains some of the characters of each. A>striking difference 

 has been noted between the leaf and the flower buds ; the first 

 may be removed with impunity from its original situation, and 

 placed in the earth, where it will vegetate with luxuriance ; but 

 the last uniformly dies. Both may be removed to another stock 

 with success. This operation is called budding, or inoculation, 

 and is well known to gardeners. Each bud may be considered 

 a distinct being, containing parts precisely similar to those of the 

 parent tree, which, when favorably situated, will develope them- 

 selves, and form a plant retaining all the peculiarities of the 

 parent. If those qualities are such as will constitute a 

 variety, they will also be perpetuated ; and of this, we have 

 many familiar examples in the various fruit trees commonly 

 .cultivated in our gardens, on many of which, budding is the only 

 means of procuring good fruit. The branch formed by the 

 inoculated bud alone yields proper fruit ; nor is the stock, on 

 which the budding has been performed, in the least degree 



