STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 85 



nectarine. The origin of this fruit is by variation, and not by seedling. 

 I will not say but that nectarines can be produced by seedlings. Vari- 

 ations do not occur so often among fruits as among flowers, because of 

 disturbing causes. The flower has been so thoroughly broken up that it 

 has been extended beyond the season, and it becomes a simple generation 

 of the bud. 



Now, there may be very little ihat is new in this report that I have 

 made. I do not wish to claim any originality at all ; but I have never 

 yet seen any similar position taken with regard to classing buds with the 

 spores of the cryptogamia, and as really essential to new generation when 

 the bud is formed ; and I 'think it is a very important point, whether 

 original or not. We cannot properly consider and clearly understand 

 the relation of the bud to the branch, and to the rest of the tree, without 

 we consider it an act of generation. 



Take one of our pelargoniums. 1 take a branch from that and propa- 

 gate another, and we go on and on. However many times we propagate 

 it — and it may be propagated an infinite number of times — and when 

 seed is used again, though the plant has been so long propagated in a 

 way that is not the natural way, but if there is any thing like fixity of habit, 

 no change occurs. But we know we can change plants by culture, and 

 if so, we can change them other ways. I do not know that the answer 

 will be sufficient, but I think that every one who has seen it will recognize 

 the truth of what I am saying. 



Mr. Montgomery — I observed one cutting from the Elizabeth Ver- 

 bena, the spur of which was perfectly white, while the original plant pro- 

 duced a variegated flower. I have preserved the spur. 



Mr Daggy — I have that plant m)self, and have observed the sport to 

 exist so that the two colors were distinct on the same plant. 



Mr. McWhorter — I have noticed frequently some sports. I have 

 known dahlias of one variety, and especially crimson, and that a consider- 

 able portion of the flower would be white or cream color. We had it on 

 our ground for years, and I took some pains to look in ground in another 

 part of the neighborhood where the same dahlia was growing. I saw it 

 had the same tendency there. Now, I did not suppose that there was a 

 fixed character given to it. I sujipose the peculiarity of the season 

 accounted for the variation of that dahlia. This matter of bud variation 

 has been to me a tough subject, and I threw out the question for informa- 

 tion. 



