168 



The only female stem which grew in the garden of St. 

 Maixent, near the town of St. Louis, having flowered earlier 

 than some male ones that were in the same place, M. Bojer 

 touched it with the pollen of a Gourd, (Giraumon,) but the 

 produce was much smaller than the fruits which had been 

 seen at Zanzibar, being only 15 inches long and 8 inches in 

 diameter: it contained 134 excellent kernels, similar to the 

 best grown in its native country. 



The pulp of the fruit was excessively bitter, and of such a 

 nature, that, when only applied to the tongue, it caused me 

 a violent headache, which lasted six or seven hours, and 

 resembled what I had experienced after tasting the bulb of 

 a new kind of Y«m, (Dioscorea.) The bitterness that per- 

 vaded my whole mouth resisted all attempts to remove it by 

 rincing with clear water, and lasted till dinner-time, (5, p. m.) 

 though I had tasted it at 8 o'clock in the morning. 



This intense and disagreeable flavour, with the novelty of 

 the fruit in which it resides, determined me to request M. 

 Delisse, an able chemist, to undertake its analysis; and I 

 anxiously expect the result. 



M. Bojer intends to sow some of the fresh seeds, and to 

 continue the fecundation of the female flowers which they 

 may produce, with the pollen of the Gourd, (Giraumon,) in 

 order to ascertain distinctly the produce of this hybrid fructi- 

 fication : he will also attempt the impregnation of the fertile 

 blossoms of the Gourd, with the pollen of this new plant, and 

 make known his observations. 



The Liane Lejoliff has since produced perfect flowers and 

 fruit at Bois Chery, the residence of Mr. Charles Telfair. 



