Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society. 467 



effect produced by different kinds of stocks, and the deter- 

 mination of the respective qualities, with a view to rejecting 

 worthless kinds and retaining the most important only for 

 permanent cultivation. The fruits, when gathered, are depo- 

 sited at the garden in a fruit-room, which is constantly open 

 to the inspection of the public, and which, from the number 

 of visitors to it, appears to excite univeral interest. 



" The distributions of cuttings, seeds, and plants, made by 

 the Society have been of the greatest importance, as well from 

 the number and value of the articles, as on account of the accu- 

 racy with which their names and synonymes have been esta- 

 blished. During the three years preceding the 1st of May last, 

 no less than 28,367 parcels of seeds were distributed at the 

 office in Regent Street, and 37,590 articles from the garden. 



" All the Fellows of the Society have now the privilege 

 of applying for plants and cuttings ; and, when visiting the 

 garden, they may receive such as are in sufficient abundance 

 to be so distributed ; the garden being open from nine in the 

 morning daily until six in summer, and until sunset in the 

 winter. 



" The library of the Society, at their house in Regent 

 Street, has continued to receive additions, by purchase as well 

 as by donations. The models of fruit, the herbaria, and other 

 scientific collections, have been transferred to the garden; 

 where it is proposed to arrange them in such a manner as to 

 render them of easy access, and to answer, as fully as possible, 

 the purposes for which they were intended." 



The present volume closes the first series of these Trans- 

 actions 



Art. II. Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society. 

 Vol. IV. Part II. 



(Continued from p. 336.) 



42. Notice regarditig a Scarificator. By John Gordon, Esq. 



This gentleman has uniformly found the greatest benefit 

 arise from cutting or slitting the rind of fruit trees when hide- 

 bound ; but the practice, he says, is " of little use, unless 

 carefully done down to the surface of the ground, or rather 

 below, and likewise a little along the horizontal branches. I 

 have often seen trees carefully done in this way in blossom 

 several days before those not cut at all. By using a proper 

 instrument, the slitting may be done in less than a minute per 

 tree and the tree will want no more relief for some A'ears. 



H H 2 



