General Notes 593 



write, in my articles, as follows : * In- breeding 

 or close-breeding is guarded against as much 

 as possible in nature. It is prevented, in the 

 case of the coco-nut palm, by a difference in 

 the time of expansion of the male and female 

 (lowers on the same spadix, and as a palm 

 rarely has more than one inflorescence at a 

 time with open flowers, the pollination of the 

 female flowers is generally brought about by 

 pollen from the starninate flowers of another 

 palm. Thus cross-pollination is the rule. 

 The pistillate flowers do not expand before the 

 stami nates of the same spadix have shed their 

 pollen and fallen off. Until that time the 

 gynaecium remains completely covered by the 

 perianth leaves, and fig. 3 1 in my articles shows 

 a spadix with pistillate flowers expanded, and 

 it will be noted that all the male flowers have 

 already dropped.' Compare fig. 23-A. 1 



" Those of your readers who hope that in 

 my notes I have given details of the formation 

 of the bud, the flower, the nut, &c., and the 

 time each takes to complete each of these 

 stages, will find, I hope, that I have not 

 neglected these important subjects. The first 

 four chapters are devoted exclusively to the 

 morphology of the palm, and I have endeav- 

 oured to treat of the matter as extensively as 

 the average planter's patience will permit." 



1 See West India Committee Circular, from August 27 

 and subsequent numbers, published by the West India 

 Committee, 15, Seething Lane, London, E.G. 



38 



