THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 119 



of this feature. Now that plant breeding is progressing on 

 scientific lines, this polyembryony is likely to cause much 

 bother to the horticulturist because usually only one of these 

 embryos comes from the fertilized egg which results from 

 careful pollination and when several seedlings spring from 

 one seed, he is quite at a loss to know which is the hybrid 

 and which are mere offspring from the plant pollinated. 



Honey Guides of Burning Bush. — The burning bush 

 {Euonyrmis atropnrpureiis) is an attractive object in the 

 autumn woods when its pinkish seed-pods begin to open ex- 

 posing the red-arilled seeds inside, but the flowers that produce 

 these seed-pods are quite as interesting. They are rather small 

 and dull dark red in color, suggesting at once the specific 

 name of the plant. There are four petals, and the ovary is 

 surrounded by a thick disk, such as may be seen in many 

 maples and other near relatives. The chief interest centers in 

 the stamens with bright yellow anthers which alternate with 

 the corolla and are very noticeable against the back ground of 

 dull red. Soon after the flower expands the anthers fall ofiE 

 leaving the short thick filaments, like little posts, in the flower. 

 Since the filaments are also red, one can tell by a glance at 

 the flower whether it is a fresh one or not and the contrasts 

 in color mav serve as an indication to visitinsf insects. 



't> 



Peach and Plum Leather. — Man has discovered a va- 

 riety of ways for preserving fruits after their season is over. 

 Some like the apple may be kept fresh by simply storing in 

 cellars, others like the fig and prune are dried, still others 

 like the olive are preserved in brine or, like the cucumber, in 

 vinegar, while others are canned as are pears, cherries and 

 the majority of our fruits. A variation of the drying pro- 

 cess applied to peaches and plums consists in drying the 

 crushed pulp of these fruits on a platter in an oven forming a 

 fruit "leather." A few hours soaking makes the leather ready 



