HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 345 



BOTANY EEPOKT. 



By Edgar D. Sias, Bochester. 



Having made no original investigations worth reporting, let me 

 say something about the law of self preservation, as related to plant 

 life. 



The usual cant Avay of regarding plants is that they are great 

 philanthropists. Every peculiarity of structure and function is 

 looked upon simply as a contribution to the welfare of man. We 

 can not, nor do we wish to deny that they are invaluable to us, but 

 are we to suppose that a plant has beautiful flowers just for men to 

 look at, a delightful perfume just to please our sense of smell, a de- 

 licious fruit just to appease our appetite? No, indeed, although 

 plants are most generous they may be looked upon as most selfish, 

 and this latter fact must ever be borne in mind in scientific study. 



In a grove where the trees are very thick there is a rivalry to see 

 which will get up the highest and get the sunlight. 



Watermelons, apples, peaches and pears grow sweet, not to please 

 our palate, but so that we will cut them open and let their seeds 

 out on the ground. 



Are we to think that our beautiful garden plants are pretty just 

 for us to look at? Not at all, they are merely sign-boards hung 

 out which say "Bees can obtain honey by applying withiD," and 

 they don't give the honey away either, they make bees haul pollen 

 to pay for it. The development of wings (pappus) by the Com- 

 posite Family, to fly south with in the Glacial period, is a remark- 

 able instance of plant growth looking out for No 1. 



Why don't the oak and other large trees captivate the eye with 

 an immense crown of roses? Just because they don't have to, their 

 pollen is carried by the wind and they don't need to go to the 

 trouble to advertise for bees. 



Then in the study of any plant or its parts we ask why is it so, 

 for its own reasons, not, why is it so on our account. The first 

 question but not the latter belongs to the province of Botany. 



EEPOKT ON VEGETABLES. 



By Joshua Allyn, Bed Wing. 



Early spring weather was very promising and all vegetables 

 started fairly, but severe frost the last of May checked many kinds 

 and entirely destroyed some, especially vines, causing a second 

 planting. Later in summer the exceeding dry weather caused in- 

 ferior quality in roots, celery and late cabbage; but it was sur- 

 prising after all these disadvantages to notice the excellent quali- 

 ties in many kinds of vegetables such as squash, potatoes, melons, 

 etc. In our locality small fruit was a failure but yet I had a 

 second crop of Strawberries in September. I was astonished at my 

 crop of Tomatoes from plants that were frozen to the ground 25th 



