Reviews. — Address by J. E. Teschemacher. 421 



This is an ugly specimen, bein» nearly past flowering; but I sent 

 it to confirm an ol)servation in the London Gardener's Chronicle, 

 which states that the balsams worked there with euano came with 

 smaller flowers. It is evidently the case here, but I have watched it 

 carefully, and found that not a single flower missed bearing its seed 

 vessel, and that every seed vessel I have opened is quite full of per- 

 fect seeds, containing from fourteen to twenty in each. 1 wish this 

 point to be carefully remembered, as I shall found some farther re- 

 marks upon it. 



From what I have seen of guano, it is quite clear that its action is 

 rapid and powerful on the stem and foliage, increasing their size and 

 deepening their green color: of this fact there can be no doubt. I 

 think it probable that it diminishes the size of the flower in some 

 cases, and that it improves the seed, both in quantity and quality — 

 of this, however, much more experiment is required to prove the cer- 

 tainty. 1 have one more remark to make: when those plants were 

 repotted, which received a second application, the roots were very 

 numerous, and appeared in the most vigorous health — thick, succu- 

 lent, pure white, the tips with that hairy appearance, so well known 

 by cultivators as a sign of strong growth. 



In Peru it is customary, when using guano to raise pepper, to ma- 

 nure three times, first on appearance of the roots, then on the appear- 

 ance of the leaves, and lastly on the formation of the fruit. 



I think the experiment of its action on all fruits, particularly the 

 larger fruit trees, as a[)ples, pears, peaches. See, will be extremely 

 interesting, as well as on the vine, which is well known to be ex- 

 cessively greedy for rich food, particularly for bone manure, the 

 chief ingredient of which, phosj)hate of lime, guano contains in con- 

 siderable quantity. 



The English have been the first, we believe, to make usq 

 of guanoy except the natives of South America, where it is 

 obtained; but it seems some of our amateur cultivators wer6 

 aware of its value long since. A writer in the JVew England 

 Farmer, as long ago as 1832 or '33, called the attention of 

 cultivators to this article, as an important manure; but we are 

 not aware that any experiments have been tried with it, except 

 those detailed in this address. 



The author thus pleasantly alludes to the prejudice existing 

 among many botanists, against those transformations in flow- 

 ers, generally termed by them "monstrosities:" — 



A remnant of the ignorance of, and want of interest in, vegetable 

 physiology, of the older botanists, I think is found in the aversion 

 many of them still entertain towards the transformations in flowers, 

 effected by the art of the horticulturist, either by hybridization or by 

 the multiplication of parts, causing what is called double flowers. 

 To me this aversion appears to arise from a contracted view of the 

 subject — all these transformations are operations of nature, all take 

 place in accordance with her laws; therefore all are deserving of 

 study and of systematic arrangement, and, when well understood, 



