» 



t 4 



"S 



^ 



171 



was cut. It looks too beautiful to eat; but how the rarest 

 sweetest essence of the tropics seem to dwell in it as it melts to 

 your delighted taste." 



Medlar. Mespilus Germaxica, L. (Rosace.k). 



DuhameP describes and figures a medlar without seeds, and 

 says it is preferred as being more delicate and of a softer texture 

 than the common kind. Noisette' speaks of it as a singular fruit, 

 but small and of mediocre quality. Don^ mentions the stoneless 

 medlar as bearing a small fruit of little merit, and Loudon"* gives 

 I the same description. In iSSo a French nursery catalogue ad- 



vertises a variety of medlar under the name of ** Stoneless."^ 



I Melon. Cucumis Melo, L. (Cucurbitace^). 



Melons of the highest quality contain fewer seed than do 

 varieties of medium or inferior quality, as I have often observed- 

 This even seems to hold true as between individual fruits of the 

 same variety to a marked extent Ca^^salpinus, in 153S, notes that 

 melons with small seed are the best for eating. In four varieties 

 selected for their high quality, the following particulars were 



obtained. 



Variety. A^'o. of Sptx, Av, No. of A v. IF/, of A v. IV i. of Pt:?' Cent. 



Seed, Seed Grs. Fruit Grs, of Seed. 



Christiana, 3 512 234 18,621 1.25 



Hackensack, i 550 273 29,181 .93 ^ 



New Surprise, 3 530 231 12,443 1.85 



Sha\v*s Golden Superb, i 494 203 12,632 1.60 



Mulberry. Morus alba, L. and var. nigra, L. 



(URTICACE/E). 



The edible portion of the mulberry is formed by the cohesion 

 into a single mass, of the floral envelopes and ovaries of a large 

 number of flowers arranged on a central fleshy column or spike, 

 ^ the calyces becoming succulent, and investing the pericarps. In 



1 Duhamel clu Monceau, arb. fruit. 176S. i. 331. 



2 Noisette, Man. du Jard. 1S29, 439. 



3 Don. Gard. diet. 1832, 11. 605. 



4 Loudon, Hort. 552. 



5 Transon Bros. Orleans. France. Cat. of 1880-I 



