FLOWER-GARDENING. 145 



such as arc spurious, in consequence of their origin being 

 between two varieties of the same species, and not two species 

 of the same genus. 



207. Hybrid plants, although incapable of perpetuation by 

 seed, are often more abundant flowerers than either pai-ent. 



208. This is, probably, connected with constitutional debility 

 (162). 



VIII. Fruit. 



209. Fruit, strictly speaking, is the pistillum arrived at 

 maturity. 



210. When the calyx adheres to the pistillum, and grows 

 with it to maturity, the fruit is called inferior ; as the Apple. 



211. But v/hen the pistillum alone ripens, there being no 

 adhesion to it on the part of the calyx, the fruit is called 

 superior ; as the Peach. 



212. The fruit is, therefore, in common language, the flower, 

 or some part of it, arrived at its most complete state of exist- 

 ence ; and, consequently, is itself a portion of a stunted branch 

 (153). 



213. The nature of its connexion with the stem is therefore 

 the same as that of the branches with each other, or of leaves 

 with their stem. 



214. A superior fruit consisting only of one, or of a small 

 number of metamorphosed leaves, it has little or no power of 

 forming a communication with the earth, and of feeding itself, 

 as real branches have (89). 



215. It has also very little adhesion to its branch ; so that 

 but slight causes are sufficient to detach it from the plant, 

 especially at an early age, when all its parts are tender. 



216. Hence the difficulty of causing Peaches and the like 

 to stone, or to pass over that age in which the vascular bun- 

 dles that join them to the branch become woody, and secure 

 them to their place. 



217. For the same reason they are fed almost entirely by 



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