50 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1883. 



durjng the summer and were repotted in the fall and replaced in 

 a warm greenhouse. The branches commented on had grown 

 since that time, and might be termed the second growth of the 

 same season. When the plants were being potted, having more 

 than were needed, one was thrown carelessly under the greenhouse 

 stage, where it shriveled considerably, but retained some vital 

 power, enough in fact to Scud down a few fibrous roots into the 

 earth. It had shriveled so as to be reduced to about half its 

 normal weight. Its behavior under these conditions had not 

 been observed till a few da^'s since this date, when an examination 

 showed that the greater portion of the axillary buds iiad developed 

 into minute flowers, as in the case of the accessor3' buds under 

 the normal condition. Some of these, judging by their dry remains, 

 had grown to nearl y one-fourth the usual size of the normal flowers, 

 though most of them were much smallei'. In tliese cases no 

 lateral accessory buds had been produced. A perfect flower from 

 a health}^ pot-plant was exhibited, but not more than two-thirds 

 the size of those produced in the growth of the flrst pait of the 

 season when the plant was in the open air. Numbers had been 

 produced during the winter from the accessory buds at the base 

 of the secondarj^ growths. One of these had borne a fine seed- 

 vessel, which was also exhibited. No seed-vessels had followed 

 the numerous stronger flowers produced b^'^the plants in the open 

 air during the summer. 



In commenting on these facts, Mr. Meehan pointed out their 

 harmony with others bearing on the relation between nutrition 

 and the various phases of the vegetative and reproductive con- 

 ditions of vegetation. Morphologically every development from 

 the bud to the fi'uit is primarily the same. We imagine all these 

 developments to be founded on a primary leaf or leaves. Just 

 when and how the various stages of development are brought 

 about it is for physiology to determine. The student of fruit and 

 forest trees knows that a I'apid-growing young tree does not flower, 

 and often when it commenced to flower, no fruit followed. Its 

 vegetative vigor had to be somewhat checked before the repro- 

 ductive forces induced flowers. The gardener brings about this 

 condition by root-pruning or ringing, that is, taking off" a portion 

 of the bark of the vigorous tree. Transplanting often makes a 

 barren tree fruitful. What would have been leaves, become petals 

 and parts of fructification in the transplanted tree. He had him- 

 self placed on record many illustrations of this. The Wista^'ia 

 and othei- climbing plants might flower, Init rarely produce fruit 

 when growing vigorously over trees or trellises, but as soon as 

 branches were thrown otf which could not attach themseh^es to 

 supports, these lost their vigor, and the flowers produced seeds. 

 But even wlieu seeds resulted from the flowers of the Wistar-ia, 

 they were rarel^^ from the most vigorous at the commencement 

 of the I'aceme, but only after the weaker flowers had been reached 

 By a careful count, in many hundred cases he had found that in 



