292 ARISTOCRATS OF THE GARDEN 



in shape and about one and one fourth to one and 

 three fourths inches long. The color is greenish 

 russet and slightly reddish on one side and the flesh 

 is very thin and gritty. The "nut" consists of a 

 number of seeds arranged around an axis and em- 

 bedded in woody tissue as hard as flint and absolutely 

 unbreakable. 



On their arrival in England in the early spring of 

 1901 the "nuts" were sown in various ways — some in 

 strong heat, some in boxes and pots and placed in 

 various temperatures, others (and the larger quantity) 

 out of doors in a prepared seed-bed. Some were 

 soaked in hot water, some in cold, others were filed 

 down — in short, everything that a skilled and re- 

 sourceful propagator could think of was put in opera- 

 tion. Weeks passed, months passed, and nothing 

 happened. When I reached England at the end of 

 April, 1902, not one seed had germinated and grave 

 fears were expressed — failure almost anticipated. 

 I made it my first business to examine the seeds. 

 Those indoors under various conditions, save for 

 being blackened, exhibited no apparent change and 

 no signs of germination. Those in the seed-bed out 

 of doors had been subjected to the winter's frost, and 

 on digging out, a few signs of change were apparent. 

 Some of the "nuts" exhibited slight longitudinal 



