FORCING LILACS. 71 



forced lilacs shown bj' C. M. Atkinson. These were of two vari- 

 eties, the Persian and Charles X, and were of the natnral color. 



James O'Brien said that he had forced lilacs this winter, of the 

 natnral color, and had found a good demand for the flowers. He 

 prepared his plants by growing them in pots, and thought that if 

 planted in the ground there would be a tendency to make too much 

 wood. 



Mr. Atkinson said that he had never attempted to blanch the 

 flowers. He received five or six years ago, from Waterer & God- 

 fre}', twelve Persian lilacs, one or two of which were of a lighter 

 color than the others, and last jeav a majority of the twelve were 

 white. Mr. Waterer was much surprised when told of it, as he had 

 never heard of a white Persian Hlac. They were not, however, 

 pure white. Of the four specimens shown, the Charles X were 

 grafted on the common lilac, while the Persian were on their own 

 roots. Mr. Atkinson described an interesting and successful ex- 

 periment in blooming lilacs in winter by cutting shoots with flower 

 buds and placing the butts in hot water. 



Charles M. Hove}^ said that his views in regard to the varieties 

 of the Persian lilac were the same as Mr. Atkinson's — there is a 

 pale, but not white, one, which when grown under a high tempera- 

 ture proves quite white. Mr. Hovey referred to the plants shown 

 by Mr. Calder last year, which were probably the old variet}', and 

 to his own remarks on temperature and time in forcing (Transac- 

 tions for 1876, Part I, pp. 43-49). Light and air are necessary to 

 bring out the natural color. The Persian has more compact pani- 

 cles and is less gross in habit than the old kind, and therefore bet- 

 ter adapted for forcing. 



The Chairman here introduced the subject assigned for the day, 

 viz., Fertilization and Cross-Fertilization. He felt much interest 

 in the opinion of Prof. Goodale that nature abhors individuality. 

 Prof. Goodale also stated that cross-fertilization in plants is the 

 rule, and self-fertilization the exception. The Chairman was sur- 

 prised that this ground was stated so strongl}-, and thought these 

 views conflicted with the doctrine of evolution, as presented by Dar- 

 win. But the subject is full of practical interest to us as horticul- 

 turists, especially in the cultivation of those plants whose seed or 

 fruit we desire to ripen. We want to know whether we must in- 

 troduce insects into our greenhouses to fertilize our grapes or straw- 

 berries. 



