By Richard Anthony Salisbury, Esq. 105 



beginning to decay, this only method of preserving it in spirit 

 of wine, for the inspection of the Society, was not neglected. 



Most of the gardeners with whom 1 have conversed re- 

 specting these anomalies, attribute them to the Pollen of 

 neighbouring Nectarine trees brought by Bees : but, as the 

 young fruit is smooth and downy, long before it is impreg- 

 nated, that cannot be the cause, and in my humble opinion, 

 no change of this, sort is produced subsequently. Not that 

 I have a shadow of doubt of the important consequences 

 which ensue, when the Stigma of one plant imbibes Pollen 

 belonging to another ; but these are only manifested in the 

 succeeding generation. The great Linn^us, in the Planted 

 Hybrids and Generatio Ambigena of his Amoenitates Acade- 

 micee, first promulgated a doctrine which I firmly believe, that 

 varieties, species, and even genera, have been created in this 

 manner ; and without the fullest comprehension of it no gar- 

 dener can hope to be successful in raising new vegetables, free 

 from the faults, or .endowed with the perfections he wishes. 

 The pith of Linn ^us's theory is, that the new vegetable will 

 resemble its father, or that from which the Pollen came, in 

 stem and leaves ; but its mother, or that upon which the Stigma 

 is situated, in flowers and fruit ; this idea, which, somewhat 

 less restricted, has been confirmed by actual experiments, 

 should never be forgotten. Of the necessity of a sexual in- 

 tercourse, every one who has raised a Cucumber or Melon is 

 well convinced, and as far as the annual production of those 

 or other fruits is concerned, I have nothing to hint in addi- 

 tion to modern practice, except that the Pollen of all vege- 

 tables might probably be preserved from one year to another; 

 jn early forcing, it would be found very useful, and should be 



