REPORT OP THE STATE BOTANIST 1903 39 



cluster is generally less than the number of its flowers because 

 some flowers fail to produce fruit. The fruit may be globose, oval, 

 oblong, ovate or pyriform. It is not invariably of the same size 

 and shape on the same tree but it is now thought to furnish char- 

 acters of specific value. When the flower stem is short and stout 

 the ripe fruit is likely to be erect. If the flower stem is long and 

 slender the ripe fruit is likely to droop on its stem. In some 

 species the hairiness of the calyx tube of the flower persists and the 

 fruit is hairy, in others it disappears and the fruit is smooth. In 

 some the fruit falls when it is ripe or soon after, in others it hangs 

 on the branches after the leaves have fallen, persisting sometimes 

 till winter or in rare cases and partially till the following spring. 

 In most species the color of the ripe fruit is some shade of red, 

 either orange red, scarlet, vermilion or crimson. In some it is 

 yellow, greenish yellow, or these colors varied with a red cheek. 

 In some species the fruit has a distinct pruinosity or bloom, in 

 others an indistinct or scarcely noticeable bloom is present. Such 

 fruits have a dull or opaque color but a little rubbing of the sur- 

 face brings out a shining color. The cuticle in some species may 

 be stripped from the fully ripe fruit as from a very ripe peach or 

 pear. The flesh or pulp in some is dry and mealy, in others juicy 

 and soft. It may be whitish, greenish jellow, orange or red. In 

 many species the fruit has an agreeable flavor and is sweet or 

 slightly acid and edible. In some cases it has been utilized in 

 making jelly. In size it varies much, being but three or four lines 

 in diameter in some and nearly an inch in others. In most of our 

 species it is from five to seven lines in diameter. The number of 

 nutlets of the fruit generally equals the number of styles in the 

 flower. In the section Tomentosae the nutlets differ from those 

 of the other sections in having the inner faces excavated. Thorn 

 bushes appear to have in some cases their " off years " like apple- 

 trees. A bush may be loaded with fruit one year and the next 

 have none. Sometimes the fruit fails because of late frosts. This 

 happened about Lake Placid the past season. A severe frost the 

 last week in May killed the stamens and pistils even in the 

 unopened flower buds, and though the petals were apparently 



