THE HOMOLOGIES OF FRUITS 265 



The contents of the foregoing tables raise a number of 

 interesting points, and it would be easy to devote some 

 chapters to the details of the experiments, if space allowed and 

 necessity required it. Indeed, not a few of these points will 

 come under our notice when we discuss the relation of parts 

 in the living or moist and in the dead or dried fruit. There 

 are, however, some matters that call for immediate notice. It 

 has already been explained in a note to the tables that a small 

 minus-correction applied to the air-dried weight will give 

 approximately the total water-contents, such as would be 

 indicated by the loss of weight of the fresh fruit when 

 exposed to a temperature of 100° C. The water remaining 

 after drying in air is the water of hygroscopicity, which fruits 

 possess in common with aU other vegetable substances, whether 

 living or dead (see Chapter VII). 



Another point here claims attention. It is remarkable how The large 

 much water fruits described as woody in the dry state contain ^te°in' 

 in the full-grown living condition on the plant. Amongst the i"™>f 1 

 fruits that in the dried state specially merit the designation of 

 " woody," one would certainly include the long pod of Cassia 

 fistula, the large capsule of the Mahogany tree (Swietenia 

 Makogant), and the polycoccous capsule of Hura crepitans (the 

 Sandbox-tree). Yet each of these fruits, as will be seen in my 

 tables, loses about two-thirds of its weight when allowed to 

 dry in free air in the moist, green, full-grown condition, 

 the water-loss, denoted by the decrease in weight, being 

 respectively 67, 6^, and 64 per cent, of the original weight. 

 Although the woody fruits lose less water when dried in air 

 than fleshy fruits, a glance at the tables will show that the 

 diiFerence is usually not great. If fleshy fruits may lose 

 between 70 and 80 per cent, of their weight, woody fruits may 

 lose between 60 and 70 per cent. 



But many disturbing influences come into play and prohibit Disturbing 

 any precise general statement until their effect is determined, i^e'c^g^the 

 This is at once made evident when we perceive that the woody drying in air 

 fruits of Cassia, Swietenia, and Hura lose about as much 



