534 



NA TURE 



[October i, 1891 



In comparing the earlier descriptions of fruits with modern 

 accounts, it is well to remember that the high standards by 

 which fruits are now judged are of recent establishment. Fruits 

 which would once have been esteemed excellent would to-day 

 be passed by as unworthy of regard. 



It seems probable that the list of seedless fruits will be mate- 

 rially lengthened, provided our experimental horticulturists 

 make use of the material at their command. The common 

 fruits which have very few or no seeds are the banana, pine- 

 apple, and certain oranges. Others mentioned by Mr. Darwin 

 as well known are the breadfruit, pomegranate, arazole or 

 Neapolitan medlar, and date-palms. In commenting upon 

 these fruits, Mr. Darwin says that most horticulturists "look 

 at the great size and anomalous development of the fruit as the 

 cause, and sterility as the result," but he holds the opposite j 

 view as more probable— that is, that the sterility, coming about 

 gradually, leaves free for other growth the abundant supply of 

 building material which the forming seed would otherwise have. 

 He admits, however, that " there is an antagonism between the 

 two forms of reproduction, by seeds and by buds, when either 

 is carried to an extreme degree, which is independent of any 

 incipient sterility." 



Most plant-hybrids are relatively infertile, but by no means ] 

 wholly sterile. With this sterility there is generally augmented : 

 vegetative vigour, as shown by Nageli. Partial or complete | 

 sterility, and corresponding luxuriance of root, stem, leaves, | 

 and flower may come about in other obscure ways, and such ! 

 cases are familiar to botanists. Now, it seems highly probable 

 that, either by hybridizing directed to this special end, or by 

 careful selection of forms indicating this tendency to the corre- 

 lated changes, we may succeed in obtaining important additions 

 to our seedless or nearly seedless plants. Whether the ultimate 

 profit would be large enough to pay for the time and labour 

 involved is a question which we need not enter into ; there 

 appears to me no reasonable doubt that such efforts would be 

 successful. There is no reason in the nature of things why we 

 should not have strawberries without the so-called seeds ; black- 

 berries' and raspberries, with only delicious pulp; and large 

 grapes as free from seeds as the small ones which we call 

 " currants," but which are really grapes from Corinth. 



These, and the coreless apples and pears of the future, the 

 stoneless cherries and plums, like the co nmon fruits before- 

 mentioned, must be propagated by bud-division, and be open 

 to the tendency to diminished strength said to be the con- 

 sequence of continued bud-propagation. But this bridge need 

 not be crossed until we come to it. Bananas have been per- 

 petuated in this way for many centuries, and pineapples since 

 the discovery of America, so that the borrowed trouble alluded 

 to is not threatening. 



It is absolutely necessary to recollect that, in most cases, 

 variations are slight. Dr. Masters and Mr. Darwin have called 

 attention to this, and have adduced many illustration.';, all of 

 which show the necessity of extreme patience and caution. The 

 general student curious in such matters can have hardly any task 

 more instructive than the detection of the variations in such 

 common plants as the blueberry, the wild cherry, or the like. 

 It is an excellent preparation for a practical study of the varia- 

 tions in our wild fruits suitable for selection. 



It was held by the late Dr. Gray that the variations in nature 

 by which species have been evolved were led along useful lines 

 — a view which Mr. Darwin regretted he could not entertain. 

 However this may be, all acknowledge that, by the hand of the 

 cultivator, variations can be led along useful lines ; and, further- ! 

 more, the hand which selects must uphold them in their unequal 

 strife. In other words, it is one thing to select a variety, and 

 another to assist it in maintaining its hold upon existence. With- 

 out the constant help of the cultivator who selects the useful 

 variety, there comes a reversion to the ordinary specific type 

 which is fitted to cope with its surroundings. 



I think you can agree with me that the prospect for new 

 fruits and for improvements in our established favourites is fairly 

 good. 



IV". Timbers and Cabinet Woods. 



Can we look for new timbers and cabinet woods ? Compara- 

 tively few of those in common use are of recent introduction. 

 Attempts have been made to bring into great prominence some 

 of the excellent trees of India and Australia which furnish wood 

 of much beauty and timber of the best quality. A large pro- 

 portion of all the timbers of the South Seas are characterized by 

 remarkable firmness of texture and high specific gravity. The 

 NO. I 144, VOL. 44] 



same is noticed in many of the woods of the Indies. A few of 

 the heavier and denser sorts, like Jairah, of West Australia, 

 and Sabicu of the Caribbean Islands, have met with deserved 

 favour in England, but the cost of transportation militates 

 against them. It is a fair question whether, in certain parts of 

 our country, these trees, and others which can be utilized for 

 veneers, may not be cultivated to advantage. Attention should 

 be again called to the fact that many plants succeed far better 

 in localities which are remote from their origin, but where they 

 find conditions substantially like those which they have left. 

 This fact, to which we must again refer in detail with regard to 

 certain other classes of plants, may have some bearing upon the 

 introduction of new timber trees. Certain drawbacks exist 

 with regard to the timber of some of the more rapidly growing 

 hard-wood trees which have prevented their taking a high place 

 in the scale of values in mechanical engineering. 



One of the most useful soft-wooded trees in the world is the 

 Kauri. It is restricted in its range to a comparatively small area 

 in the North Island of New Zealand. It is now being cut down 

 with a recklessness which is as prodigal and shameful as that 

 which has marked our own treatment of forests here. It should 

 be said, however, that this destruction is under protest ; in spite 

 of which it would seem to be a question of only a few years 

 when the great Kauri groves of New Zealand will be a thing 

 of the past. Our energetic Forest Department has on its hands 

 problems just like this which perplexes one of the new lands of 

 the South. The task in both cases is double : to preserve the 

 old treasures and to bring in new. 



There is no department of economic botany more promising 

 in immediate results than that of arboriculture. 



V. Vegetable Fibres. 



The vegetable fibres known to commerce are either plant 

 hairs, of which we take cotton as the type, or filaments of bast- 

 tissue, represented by flax. No new plant hairs have been sug- 

 gested which can compete in any way for spinning with those 

 yielded by the species of Gossypium, or cotton, but experiments 

 more or less systematic and thorough are being carried on with 

 regard to the improvement of the varieties of the species. Plant 

 hairs for the stuffing of cushions and pillows need not be referred 

 to in connection with this subject. 



Countless sorts of plants have been suggested as sources of 

 good bast-fibres for spinning and for cordage, and many of these 

 make capital substitutes for those already in the factories. But 

 the questions of cheapness of production, and of subsequent 

 preparation for use, have thus far militated against success. 

 There may be much difference between the profits promised by 

 a laboratory experiment and those resulting from the same pro- 

 cess conducted on a commercial scale. The existence of such 

 differences has been the rock on which many enterprises seeking 

 to introduce new fibres have been wrecked. 



In dismissing this portion of our subject it may be said that a 

 process for separating fine fibres from undesirable structural ele- 

 ments and from resin-like substances which accompany them is 

 a great desideratum. If this were supplied, many new species 

 would assume great prominence at once. 



VI. Tanning Materials. 



What new tanning materials can be confidently sought for ? 

 In his " Useful Native Plants of Australia," Mr. Maiden 

 describes over thirty species of "wattles" or acacias, and 

 about half as many eucalypts, which have been examined for 

 the amount of tanning material contained in the bark. In all, 

 eighty-seven Australian species have been under examination. 

 Besides this, much has been done looking in the same direction 

 at the suggestion and under the direction of Baron von Mueller, 

 of Victoria. This serves to indicate how great is the interest in 

 this subject, and how wide is the field in our own country for 

 the introduction of new tanning plants. 



It seems highly probable, however, that artificial tanning 

 substances will at no distant day replace the crude matters now 

 employed. 



VII. Resins, &c. 



Resins, oils, gums, and medicines from the vegetable kingdom 

 would next engage our attention if they did not seem rather 

 too technical for this occasion, and to possess an interest on the 

 whole somewhat too limited. But an allied substance may 

 serve to represent this class of products and indicate the drift of 

 present research. 



India Rubber. — Under this term are included numerous sub- 



