SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, NOVEMBER 1. 



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the fertilisation of Pears, Mr. Worsley observed that 70" was necessary 

 for 'Marie Louise.' Mr. Walker remarked that it was useless to attempt 

 to grow 1 Marie Louise ' on the Welsh coast. Mr. Bunyard said that 

 1 Gloria Mundi ' was a bad self -fertiliser, but was very good with other 

 pollen. The fruit usually bore furrows : these disappeared from the 

 fruit if the flower had been crossed. With regard to the ' Beauty of 

 Kent,' it bore well on chalk, according to Mr. Chittenden. Other varieties 

 were alluded to, from which it would seem that the nature of the scil 

 and climate, as well as pollination, were matters for consideration. 



Gazania, foliaceous. — Mr, Hooper showed an inflorescence in which 

 the bracts of the involucre had become long and leaf-like, while the 

 florets of the head were abortive. 



Twin Maize Seedlings. — Mr. Chittenden showed two seedlings arising 

 from a single grain. On examination they proved to be from two 

 embryos standing on opposite sides of the grain, with a single mass of 

 endosperm between them. 



Black Apple, Bot. — Dr. Cooke, V.M.H., reported on this disease as 

 follows : — " The Black Apple submitted to the Committee was stated to be 

 one of several found amongst stored Apples. The whole fruit was pitchy- 

 black in colour, and the rind became rather tough and leathery, but there 

 was no external sign of wound or cicatrice. Cut in section the core in 

 the centre was hollow, and full of a loose white mycelium. The substance 

 of the Apple was uniformly brown and rotten. In the centre, and 

 around the hollow core, were a number of irregular shaped sclerotiform 

 bodies, from the size of a hempseed to a diameter of half an inch, but 

 too soft and immature to hope for any success in their culture. Perhaps 

 in a more advanced state of decay the sclerotia may be found to have 

 hardened, and become more promising for culture. Throughout the 

 brown rotting pulp rather thick threads of mycelium were scattered. It 

 seems scarcely possible to arrive at any conclusion about this disease from 

 the preliminary investigation. It would appear to have connection with 

 fungi of a certainty, but whether the cause of the rotting or discoloration, 

 or whether merely a saprophyte following decay, has yet to be determined. 

 The white flocculent mycelium and the sclerotiform bodies remind one 

 of the sclerotium disease of Potato haulms and other herbaceous stems. 

 The remains are under bell-glasses for observation of any development 

 of Botrytis. We know of no disease of the kind already recorded. 



" Massee has suggested that it is probably a condition of the 1 brown 

 rot ' which is attributed to Monjlia fructigena, and I am quite disposed 

 to accept his suggestion, which the presence of sclerotia seems to 

 strengthen, since sclerotia, producing a form of Pezi-a as its ultimate 

 development, have been detected in the centre of fruits attacked by the 

 Monilia." 



Presumed Corticium on Chrysanthemum. — Dr. Cooke also reported 

 on this disease : — " The specimens submitted must be supposed to be 

 typical of what has been described as Corticium chrysauthemi (Plow.). 



"Examination of these specimens fails to show any hymenium, or 

 basidia, or any evidence of their belonging to the Basidiomycetes. 

 There is certainly a white floccose incrustation, not distinctly different 

 from the same kind of thing which is found on the exterior of old Potato 



