42 



I'ltiX KKDINC.S OF TIIK 



aiui brown flowers, wliii h rimtiiil a piMiiiiiu" rescinblin^^ a mixture 

 of Viuv Apple aiul I Ii'liotropc. 



From Ihv Hon. and Kev. \\ . Ilcrbcrl, F. U.S., a specinion of 

 Cymbidium crassi/olium. Unfortunately this plant had been much 

 injurinl by its journey ; it however proved to be new to our 

 (Jardens. Mr. Herbert stated that lie had received it a few years 

 since froMJ ( alcutta, that its sj)ike was pendulous, and 'A feet 

 H inches lonir, w ith lar^e llowers of which 17 were j)erfect j 

 they ai)|>cari'(l to liave been of a brow nish red, on a straw-coloured 

 ground. 



From .Mr. .lohn llalliday, (iardencr to the Lord Sondi's, F.II.S., 

 a line plant of Matn ttia vtudij'olin, trained to a trellis surroundin«^ 

 the pot in which it grew. 



From Messrs. ("handler and ISons, a specimen of Campanula 

 fragilis, the hairy variety, hanging over the sides of a flower-pot, 

 and bearinu; upwards of 1(K) of its delicate sky blue blossoms. 

 This plant was accompanied by a fine si)ecimen of Tecoma 

 jasniinoidrs, a most bcautilul greenhouse climbing plant, together 

 with a collection of Dahlias and P'lcvotces. 



From Mr. Robert Krrington, (iardener to Sir Philip de Malpas 

 Grey Egerton, 15art., M.P., F. H.8., a dish of very fine Murray 

 Nectarines. 



From Dr. Charles Morren, Professor of Botany at Liege, a 

 specimen of the fruit of the true Vanilla, which he had obtained 

 in the hothouses belonging to the liotanic Garden of that town. 

 The pod was in all respects as perfectly grown and as highly 

 flavoured as the best samples imported from America. It 

 appeared that Professor Morren had been led to the discovery 

 of the mode of causing the Vanilla to bear fruit, by ex- 

 periments made upon the fertilization of Orchidaceie in general. 

 There are two opinions upon this subject ; by some it is 

 supposed that the contact of pollen with the stigma is not 

 necessary in these plants, but that the influence of the pollen 

 is communicated to the latter during the time that the pollen- 

 masses lie in the cavity of the anther : this is more particularly 

 the opinion entertained by Mr. Francis Bauer • other Botanists 

 believe that actual contact between the pollen and stigma is 

 necessary to produce fertilization. It is well known that the 

 Orchidaceae cultivated in hothouses, like the Vanilla, rarely bear 

 their fruit, but that the flowers drop off shortly after expansion. 

 Professor Morren, having seen at Paris that M. Adolphe Brong- 

 niart had succeeded by artificial fertihzation in causing Brassia 

 maculata to bear fruit, undertook some similar experiments at 

 Li^ge, in the course of which he obtained capsules from Bo- 

 natea speciosa, Brassia maculata, CEceoclades maculata, Epi- 

 dendrum cochleatum, Cymbidium sinense, four species of Ca- 

 lanthe, &c. This led him to observe the eflfect of applying 

 its pollen to the stigma of Vanilla; and the result was the 



