1877 J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



57 



catching habits. We have now the following 

 additional note on the subject: 



" Since this article was written I have had an 

 opportunity to examine some leaves of Sarra- 

 cenift Psittacina, Michx. In their structure we 

 may notice a near approach to Darlingtonia, the 

 upper part of the pitcher being almost as in that 

 plant. There is the same ventricose expanded 

 summit, which, if the leaves were erect, would 

 bring the orifice underneath, and the fold within 

 the orifice is not only present, but proportionally 

 many times larger. To be sure, the " fishtail " 

 appendage of Darlingtonia is not found here. 

 But that admirable arrangement for attracting 

 flying insects is not necessary in this plant, 

 which has its leaves reclining in a rosulate clus- 

 ter in such fashion that the orifices are in a ver- 

 tical instead of a horizontal position ; thus pre- 

 senting an open doorfor ambulatory insects, easy 

 of entrance, but extremely difficult of exit. As 

 a consequence, the prey corresponds to the 

 structure, being composed principally of ants, 

 with a proportion of the smaller spiders, beetles, 

 &c. The hunter or fisher has often occasion to 

 construct and use traps made on modifications 

 of the same principle ; but the arrangements of 

 their mechanisms are poor and inethcient com- 

 pared with those of these humble plants. 



W. M. C." 



The Purpose of HoxVeyed Secretions. — We 

 have the following from a botanical friend: 

 " • Honeyed secretions appear to be given to plants 

 for the purpose of furnishing a nourishing liquid 

 to pollen.' p. 27. May a correspondent ask 

 what kind of proof there is for this? Also, how 

 the pollen gets at this secretion in the spurs of 

 Aquilegia, or of an Orchis, or in a Crown Impe- 

 rial, or, indeed, in any other flower? 



"Also, why should the moisture of the stigma 

 be called 'a honeyed secretion,' and so be 

 likened to the nectar of flowers? And how does 

 the remark that the pollen-tube is emitted only 

 when there is a honeyed secretion in the stigma, 

 apply in Asclepias, and in those cleistogamous 

 flowers in which the pollen emits its tube before 

 touching the stigma?" 



[The quotation from our last numl^er given 

 above, is in answer to a question of a correspon- 

 dent who wants to experiment on horticultural 

 topics in matters not fully proved. When we 

 suggested this subject as one of them, therefore, 

 we regarded it as a matter not fully proved, but 

 only " appears " to be so. 



Our ground for this suggestion is the experi- 

 ments of Dr. Hooibreuk, of the Imperial Botan- 

 ical Garden of Vienna, published in 1873. He 

 shows that flowers which could not be fertilized 

 by their own pollen, or foreign pollen, were suc- 



cessfully impregnated when nectar was applied 

 to the stigma before the application of the 

 pollen. 



Our correspondent is one of those who endorse 

 Sir John Lubbock's statement, that " the honey 

 of flowers has been developed by the uncon- 

 scious agency of insects," in other words, that 

 sweet secretions were made expressly to entice 

 insects, which, while visiting, should bring pol- 

 len at the same time to cross-fertilize, and he 

 will naturally feel a reluctance to accept the sug- 

 gestion that possibly the nectar may in some 

 way directly minister to the plant's own good ; 

 but those who differ with him may be pardoned 

 for seeking another use for these secretions. 



As to the objections made, we can only say 

 they are no greater than surround every similar 

 question ; no greater in this than is the fact of 

 the existence of cleistogamous flowers from his 

 own point of view ; for if nature abhors self-fer- 

 tilization, why should she make such flowers 

 which, "blooming in secret," must fertilize 

 themselves! The sweet Hquid in the spurs of 

 Aquilegia may be waste, as millions on millions 

 of pollen grains themselves are waste. Again, 

 the honeyed matter is generally formed in close 

 vicinity to the gynceicum, and there may be cases 

 where the pollen-tubes can get along for awhile 

 without it ; but all this is speculation, and we can 

 only say that there seems enough in Hooibreuk's 

 observations to warrant further experiments in 

 that direction.— Ed. G. M.J 



Climate of California.— A San Francisco cor- 

 respondent, under date of December 28th, says :— 

 " I see by the papers that you have had very 

 cold weather in the Eastern States. Here it 

 has been very delightful. Yesterday, for in- 

 stance, the thermometer at noon stood at 72°, 

 and for many weeks it has ranged between 65° 

 and 74°— occasionally with a light frost at night, 

 but not strong enough to ' nip ' tomato vines, 

 or interfere with the out-door growth of flowers. 

 The day but one before Christmas I took my 

 children down to see the sights, and the display 

 of flowers and fruits in the markets was very 

 fi-ne— all of out-door growth. Strawberries, 

 grapes, oranges and lemons lay side by side with 

 apples, pears, &c., &c.. in great variety. 



On Christmas day the floral, as well as the 

 evergreen display in the churches, was a pleas- 

 ing sight for such a season of the year. We are 

 all longing, however, for rain ; and that is the 

 commencement of winter here. Two months 



