1906-1907.] 517 



paid to Mr. Baring for his hospitality tO' the members of the 

 Club, and particularly for the special care and attention '.vhich 

 he had shown in the plants and animals of Lam'bay Island. 



' FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



At the last informal meeting of the Club, which took place 

 on Wednesday evening, 27th March, in the Clubroom, Museum, 

 College Square North, Mr. Arthur Deane gave a short lecture 

 on " Fruits and Vegetables." The chair was occupied by Mr. 

 Robert Patterson, M.R.I.A. Mr. Deane commenced his thesis 

 iby stating that in the life history of a plant there were two 

 periods — the vegetable and the floral. The function of the 

 latter was tO' produce seed, and during the formation of seeds a 

 certain part of the flower persisted until the seeds were ripe, and 

 this was termed a fruit. No matter whether it was like a pea- 

 pod or an apple it was always called a fruit. He then pro- 

 ceeded tO' describe simple and compound fruits and the 

 infructescence. Fruits could be divided into those that were dry 

 and those that wepe fleshy. Dry fruits were provided for dispersal 

 by wind, water, or to be carried away in the fleece of passing 

 animals instead of falling in a dead calm beneath the parent 

 plant, and assisting themselves in the struggle for existence. 

 Fleshy fruits were usually adapted for carrying inside the bodies 

 of animals, and in such cases the seeds are protected by a 

 thick leathery coat, so that they will not be acted upon by the 

 gastric juices of the body of the animal, the warmth of which 

 often commenced the process of germination. In different 

 fruits it was seen that different parts of the flower persisted to 

 form the flesh of such fruits as tomato, apple, orange, cucumber, 

 and strawberry. The colour assumed by ripe fruits often assists 

 in alluring animals by forming a great contrast to the back- 

 ground of green foliage, as the berries of the holly and the 

 strawberry. Another important point about fleshy fruits was that 

 before becoming ripe they were usually distasteful to animals, but 

 when the seeds were ready for dispersal the acids were changed 

 mto sugar, and so birds and other animals were attracted to eat 

 them. ExampJes of fruits were spoken of which appeared to 



