-102 JOUBNAL OF THE IJON Al. I lOK I K'ULTU IIAL SOCHl^TY. 



good thing, in their opinion, if an autumn show for tlio oxiiibitioij 

 of Orchids could be arranged. Tlic Council fell in with the views 

 expressed, and, so far as I am able to judge, the exhibition is very 

 successful and is worthy of repetition. It will show the flower-loving 

 public that the growing of Orchids is not confined, as has been said iu 

 some quarters, to the spring months, but can be usefully indulged in 

 in the autumn too. There are other times in the year when different 

 classes of Orchids are at their best, but it is difficult to exhibit them, 

 owing to various circumstances, and the present exhibition is sufficient 

 to show that many may be used for brightening even the dullest of 

 autumn days. So far as those who live near London are concerned, 

 I fear the reason why Orchids are rarely shown in autumn is that our 

 fogs work such havoc among the flowers; but this reason does not 

 apply in the case of those gentlemen who are fortunate enough to 

 reside in more distant parts of the country. 



On an occasion such as this it is not necessary for me to do more 

 than introduce the readers of the papers. After each paper is read I 

 hope many of those present will discuss it, or ask any questions which 

 they may wish further enlightenment upon. The discussions wih, 

 I hope, be an interesting and instructive part of the proceedings. 



I will now ask Professor Keeble to read his paper. 



"THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FEETILIZATION. " 



Professor F. Keeble : It has been known for many years that in 

 the majority of plants pollination is essential to seed-formation. The 

 fact is so well established and familiar that pollination, which in 

 strictness denotes the transference of pollen from the stamens to the 

 stigma of a flower, is used sometimes as the equivalent of the term 

 fertilization. 



Nevertheless, as we shall see, pollination is but one of a series of 

 somewhat complicated processes which result ultimately in seed- j 

 formation. Although the dependence of seed-production on pollination j 

 has long been known, the nature of the process which intervenes | 

 between these events baffled the curiosity and ingenuity of man until ' 

 comparatively recent times. Of late years our knowledge of these i 

 intervening processes has increased very greatly, and, since that know- j 

 ledge is both interesting in itself and useful in its practical bearings, j 

 I propose to sketch in rapid outline the figure of our understanding of 

 the process of fertilization. 



The foundations of our knowledge of the nature of fertilization were 

 laid a little over three-quarters of a century ago by Amici, who, in j 

 1830, discovered that pollen grains deposited on the stigma sent out | 

 tubes which pass down the style, enter the ovary, and make their way 

 unerringly to the open ends of the ovules (fig. 111). It was not till many 

 years after Amici 's time that the real act of fertilization was observed. 

 Some forty years ago it was discovered that the pollen tube, after 

 passing through the opening in the coats of an ovule, becomes thin 

 and soft and discharges part of its contents into the ovule. 



