STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 67 



plants; but among dicecious and moncecious flowering plants such cases 

 are very faniiliiir. 



Dr. Warder mentioned several instances in which the Rhode 

 Island Greening had become quite russeted when planted among Russet 

 trees, or grafted into them. Pryor's Red also sometimes becomes quite 

 russeted under similar circumstances, but reverts back to its original 

 color after a few generations of cultivation at a distance from any Russet 

 trees. 



Air. WiER — I thought the pollen from the Russet blossoms had 

 fertilized the flowers of the Willow twigs, and thus produced the change. 



Dr. Warder — The fruit is not changed by the fertilization of its 

 blossoms from another variety. This aflects only the seed, or embryo of 

 the next generation. The fruit from trees grown from seeds thus fer- 

 tilized will be changed, or diflerent from that of tlie parent tree. 



Mr. McWhorter — Would cions cut from branches, whose fruit 

 sported as in the cases named by you (Dr. W.), produce similar fruit? 



Dr. Warder — I would not look for a continuation of the 

 peculiarity. 



Mr. McWhorter thought that often the effect upon the fruit was 

 owing to a change in the circulation. He once girdled alternate trees in 

 an orchard, to kill them. That season the fruit on the girdled trees was 

 larger and better than that upon the others. He thought that gi'afting 

 upon dissimilar stocks produced the same effects. Grafting upon such 

 sometimes changes the character of the fruit, without changing the tree. 



Dr. Warder cited the cultivation of pears upon quince stocks, as 

 an illustration of this. The quality of some varieties is improved 

 thereby. 



Mr. Wier knew a persimmon tree (pistillate), which was girdled, 

 and the fruit that year was three times as large as usual, and ripened 

 earlier. 



Dr. Warder hoped that some attention would be given to 

 improving the persimmon. It is more inclined to vary in its fruit than 

 almost any other species, and by careful selections of seeds a really good 

 variety may be obtained. In the ti'ce spoken of by Mr. Wier, there may 

 have been some staminate flowers. 



Mr. Bryant said that thirty-three years ago he brought some 

 persimmon seed from Meredosia, 111., and planted it at Princeton. He 

 transplanted the seedlings at three and four years old, and about one half 

 lived. Of these about half were barren, and the other half produced 

 fruit, that of each tree differing from all others. They varied in size, 

 form, quality, and time of ripening, there being about a month's dif- 

 ference in the maturing of the fruit. In some years, the later sorts do 

 not ripen. This year all ripened, without injury from frost. The earliest 

 ripening fruit is the best. It is often quite a good fruit, and is relished 

 by many persons. While it is said that the frost ripens this fruit, yet it 

 must attain a certain degree of maturity before the frost will ripen it. 



