2/8 GENERAL REVIEW. 



hybrids with C. melo, and MM. Segeret and Naudin have 

 repeatedly failed in their endeavours to cross these two 

 species. Major Trevor-Clarke informs me (1875) tnat a 

 friend of his, Major Mason of Willoughby Hall, has a plant 

 (hybrid half-breed) from the 'big Pumpkin' crossed by a 

 Cucumber. It is fertile, and is now growing for the second 

 generation. It does not appear to be so w r ell known that 

 the Melon and the Cucumber may be grafted on the Vege- 

 table Marrow as a stock ; and so treated, they certainly 

 resist mildew in winter much better than' when on their 

 own roots. The best plan is to sow Marrow seeds where the 

 Cucumber plants are required, and a week or two afterwards 

 sow the Cucumber seeds each separately in small pots, and 

 when they are large enough, inarch them on to the Marrow 

 stocks a few inches above the surface of the bed. Cucumber 

 seeds should be sown in a genial bottom-heat of 65 to 75. 

 M. Gaillard has made several interesting Experiments in 

 grafting the fruits of different varieties of Gourds and Marrows 

 (see ' Revue Hort,' 1875, p. 14, 15), from which it appears that 

 the cellular tissues of these fruits unite very readily. 



The following are the principal genera as represented in our 

 gardens : Bryonia, Citrullns (Water Melon or black-seeded 

 Citrullus), Momordica, Luffa (Towel Gourds), Lagenaria (Bottle 

 Gourds), Cucumis (Cucumbers and Melons), Cucurbita (Gourds 

 and Squashes). 



There are hundreds of cross-bred forms of Gourds (Cucur- 

 bita), Cucumbers, and Melons (Cucumis), and M. Germain de 

 St Pierre has ' raised hybrids between Lagenaria sphcBrica 

 seedling plants bearing female flowers only and the Snake 

 Gourd, L. vulgar is. After the first fruit which had been 

 fertilised with pollen from the last-named species had set, the 

 seed-bearing parent produced male flowers, and fruit on the 

 same plant were set by fertilising the female blossoms with 

 pollen from their attendant male flowers. All the fruits so 

 closely resembled each other that the operator thought no true 

 cross had been effected. Seed from all the fruits being sown, 

 the fruit produced by pollen from the Snake Gourd were 

 found to be intermediate between both the parents. These 

 hybrids were again fertilised with pollen from L. vulgaris and 

 L. sphcerica (the original parents) and L. angolensis, the hybrids 

 being thus fecundated with pollen from three species, and 

 fruit of a similar character resulted from the union, but the 

 seedlings from these were either intermediate between the 

 parent plants or reverted almost entirely to one or other of 



