12 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



feet in height. The sight presented by the beauti- 

 ful cylindric racemes of berries is very grand. I was 

 curious to estimate the quantity of this purplish fruit. We 

 counted over 1800 racemes, whose average weight was 1 oz. averdu- 

 pois each, thus making a little more than 112 pounds of berries on one 

 plant. The robins are feasting daily upon them ; and they are wel- 

 come, although I hope some will be left for the snowbirds. — S. Lock- 

 wood. Freehold, N.J. Oct. 22, 1881. 



A Second Spring in Ark.— This season has been such a pe- 

 culiar one that 'Dame Nature" has become confused. 



Vegetation was luxuriant in this region during the spring and 

 early summer months. 



Plants put forth rapidly and made a vigorous growth. 



There was scarcely any rainfall from June until October. 



All the summer and autumn species of plants were dwarfed. 



During the continued drouth vegetation assumed a dead like ap- 

 pearance as though killed by frost. Foliage of the trees was dull and 

 shriveled. Meadows and lawns were as brown as stubble fields. The 

 vital forces were apparently suspended, and plants seemed to be tak- 

 ing their periodical rest after a season of activity. The shoots that 

 grew in the spring had the appearance, at the close of the drouth, of 

 wood hardened by the suspension of growth and the approach of 

 winter. 



The copious fall of rains set in. A second spring arrived and as 

 by magic the earth was transformed into a garden. 



Nature was enticed to make a second growth which was scarcely 

 interrupted until the hard freeze on the night of Nov. 19th. 



Flower and leaf buds formed by the early spring growth were lured 

 into development by the warm sun and copious showers. 



Pear, peach, plum, cherry and apple trees and Japonicas have 

 been in full bloom this fall and on some trees voung fruit has formed. 



Garden perennials have had a second season of blooming and 

 many summer and fall wild perennial herbs revived and continued to 

 bloom until the freeze. 



There will certainly be two layers of woody tissue in the exogens 

 of this region representing the growth of 1881. 



Are the flower buds of plants formed, ordinarily, the spring or 

 season previous to their development ? 



Is it not probable, that these trees during their second growth, 

 formed new flower buds to take the place of those untimely devel- 

 oped ? 



Are there latent flower as well as leaf buds which may develop 

 blossoms in cases of emergency? — F. L. Harvey. Ark. Ind. Univ., 

 Fayetteville, Ark. 



