No. it4.J 295 



phere; when filled with moisture, and a dry, hot, windy time 

 comes, then the plant breathes out moisture. 



Brogniart, in 1826, thus explained the action of pollen before 

 the Academy of Sciences : A grain of pollen is composed of two 

 membranes — an exterior, somewhat thick and not elastic; an in- 

 terior, more thin and elastic — with extremely minute grains en- 

 dowed with motion. When a grain of pollen falls upon a moist 

 stigma it swells, and holes are formed through the exterior mem- 

 brane. The interior membrane makes ruptures through these 

 holes, lengthens itself into one or many tubes, which penetrate 

 the tissues of the stigmata, there the style, when at a certain depth 

 the lower extremity of the tube open, the grains of pollen, having 

 motion, go out of the tube, continue to descend through the tissues 

 of the style, the ovary and placenta, finally arriving at the ovular 

 sack, into which one or more enter; there they meet with other 

 minute grains with which they incorporate, and thus form the 

 rudiment of the embryo. 



Thus the embryo is formed of two materials, one the female 

 einbryo, already in the sack, the other the pollenic male, which 

 comes from more or less distance. This mode of fecundation is 

 confirmed by the formation of hybrids. 



This view of fecundation is not agreed to except by the masters 

 of the science, and is far from being generally adopted. Many 

 difficulties are brought forward; for instance, how can we con- 

 ceive of the fecundation of the thousands of seeds in the ovary of 

 tobacco 1 Can we conceive of thousands of spermatic tubes de- 

 scending at the same time into a style no larger than a thread, 

 without its diameter being augmented 1 



[Revue Horticole, Aug., 1854. Paris.] 



THE FARM SCHOOL OF THE ORNE 



Is situated on the old domain of St. Gautier, about 3^ miles 

 from Domfrout. The road to it is beautiful for its magnificent 

 panoramic views. It is at the extremity of the forest of Andaine; 

 the grounds slope gently to the south, and contain about 240 

 hectares (about 500 acres). One half in cultivation, the other 

 t^ be cultivated soon, they are busy with it. 



