September 20, 1388. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
265 
downwards, the palmate fibres are developed, and, being central, on 
touching the earth they bury themselves with a screwing sort of move¬ 
ment, thus working a hole into which the three pods, which have by 
this time bent downwards, are drawn and effectually buried. Thus 
the plant safely stores away its pods full of seeds, which ripen under¬ 
ground during autumn and grow up in spring. The plant, growing 
only on ground quite closely cropped by animals, in this way secures 
reproduction by burying the pods safely out of harm’s way. It sacri¬ 
fices some of its flowers in order to make natural gimlets, which dig a 
grave for the three seed-bearing ones 1 
Many other plants, possessing the usual aerial pods, have a’so sub¬ 
terranean ones, usually shorter and with fewer seeds, the smaller 
number being an advantage, as they the more easily flourish when 
trying to germinate close to one another, while in the aerial pods a 
larger number of seeds evidently secures a better chance in the scatter- 
ini process. Of these plants we find examples in some species of Vetch, 
Vetchling, and Cress. In American Earth Nut (Arachis hypogea), the 
*'nut” so called—in reality a pod —is buried while still unripe, and 
later on underground developes its two seeds. If the burial for any 
reason be not made, the pod withers and no seeds are produced. 
Some cases exist in which movement of the seed itself, after it has left 
its capsule, either scatters or buries it. The seed of Wood Sorrel (Oxalis) 
ruptures its testa or coat, expelling the body of the seed with violence. 
The Stork’s-bills, belonging to the Geranium order, possess seeds which 
develope a hairy, twisted “ awn,” which, under given conditions, prin¬ 
cipally of moisture, unrolls and pushes the seed down into the ground, 
the awn itself being kept fixed by surrounding herbage. Stipa pennata, 
a pretty European Grass, has seeds with a corkscrew rod and long 
feather springing from their apex ; the whole arrangement is over a 
foot long, and in moist weather the unrolling of the rod acts as in 
the Stork’s-bill seeds, the feather probably serving the purpose of 
carrying the seed first of all to its resting place. The elaters. contractile 
filaments forming part of the spores of the Horsetails, act in some¬ 
what similar manner by fixing the spores to the earth, and in some 
water weeds the spores are furnished with vibratile cilia or fine hairs, 
enabling them to move in the water spontaneously, and .so disseminate 
themselves. 
We have now seen the various agents and contrivances by which 
weeds are placed in favourable situations for growth, and we cannot 
fail to be struck with the wonderful adaptation and ingenuity of many 
of them. That the wings, or the hooks, as the case may be, are not 
mere accidents or ornaments, as some would have us imagine, but exist 
for the purposes namedj is, I think, fairly established by looking at the 
kinds of plants on which they are found, and considering their stature. 
Sir John Lubbock, in a most interesting paper in the “ Fortnightly ” 
for April, 1881, gives us the two following statements (I quote them 
in outline only) :— 
I. —“ Roughly speaking, there are some thirty genera, belonging 
to twenty-one different orders, having seeds or fruits with wings. 
They are all trees or climbing shrubs, not one is a low herb. That is, 
they all occur in situations where the wind has free acccess to them. 
If the wings were merely accidental, why do we not find them on low- 
growing shrubs and plants ?” 
II. —“ There are about thirty English species where dispersion is 
effected by hooks, causing the fruits or seeds to adhere to the coats of 
animals. If these hooks were simply ornamental, or present by accident, 
why do we sever see one such hooked fruit on a water plant or a tall 
tree ? What is the actual fact ? Out of these thirty not one is aquatic, 
not one is over 4 feet high, not one grows at a level below that at which 
seeds would be likely to get entangled in the fur of animals having 
reference to the usual size of British Mammals.” 
Thus approached, the “ keys ” of Ash and Sycamore circling through 
the air, the silvery down of Thistle and Dandelion, the rich deep crimsons 
and purples of our woodland fruits all have meanings for us; we 
behold in all of them additional evidences of the great truth of natural 
selection, by means of which, through countless ages, the Great Designer has 
slowly and certainly evolved the myriad forms and colours of fruits and 
seeds that call for study and attention ; and we look with wonder and 
delight on them all, as, with perfect adaptation of construction to 
purpose, fruit and seed are sent forth far and wide on their beautiful 
mission of regeneration and abounding life.—H. W. S. Worsley Beni- 
SON, F.L.S. (in the Jou rnal of Microscopy'). 
GOOD PEACHES AND NECTARINES FOR WALLS. 
There are several of the late big Peaches of excellent quality when 
grown under glass, but without some assistance to bring them to maturity 
I consider it quite useless attempting to grow them. It is very true in 
favourable seasons a healthy tree, if growing in a good position, may 
ripen its fruit fairly, and the grower thus have an opportunity of 
placing on the table a passable dish of Peaches late in the season. But 
this is, according to my experience, a very rare occurrence. The fruit 
generally becomes woolly, bitter, and decays at the stone. I have tried 
to assist their ripening on several occasions by gathering the fruits and 
placing them in heat, but have never succeeded satisfactorily, and 
they after all Save been only fit for making tarts of. Mr. Gladstone, 
Lady Palmerston, Walburton Admirable, Princess of Wales, and 
Salwey are some which never ripen well here, and we intend to replace 
them with some others that ripen somewhat earlier in the season. Our 
best, both as regards cropping regularly and quality, a:e Alexanlra 
Noblesse, Old Noblesse, Bellegarde, Stirling Castle, Grosse Mignonne 
Cnmson Galande, Barrington, Early York, and Hale’s Early ; and all 
of these with the exception of Crimson Galande I know are excellent 
for forcing. It may be said I have left out the best of all Peaches, 
viz., Royal George. For indoors we have none to surpass it for cropping 
and quality, while outside it has so terribly suffered from mildew with 
us, that I doubt whether or not it should be included in an outside 
collection. A Bee, Condor, Dymond, and Belle Bauce I have added to 
my list, and I fully expect in the first three to have something good. 
Dymond is now bearing a few fruits, and I like its appearance im¬ 
mensely. For very early use either Waterloo or Alexander should have 
a place, both of which ripen fully three weeks before Hale’s Early 
but the latter I prefer for quality. 
With regard to Nectarines, Lord Napier is the first to ripen, and give 
great satisfaction for size, qualitv, and cropping. Humboldt seldom fails 
annually cropping heavily, and is grand foi colour and flavour, in fac 
I consider it one of the best if not the best Nectarine grown. Elruge 
is a certain cropper both in and out doors, and is well known as one of 
the best, while Pineapple and Pitmaston Orange are all that could pos¬ 
sibly be desired. Albert Victor and Victoria do not ripen satisfactorily 
here, and the fruit splits when quite green and hard.—H. Markham 
Merewvrth Castle, Maidstone. 
Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association. 
—We understand that the members of this Association have de¬ 
cided to hold a soiree at the Vestry Hall, Chiswick, on October 17th, 
the proceeds from which are to be devoted to the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fund, and is hoped that the efforts of the Committee will meet with 
the support of the gardening community in Chiswick and the surround¬ 
ing districts. Tickets for the soirhe, Is. each, may be obtained on ap¬ 
plication to the Secretary of the Association, Mr. J. Barry. 
- Flemish Beauty Pear. —Mr. J. Hunter sends us a fruit of 
this variety grown under glass at Lambton Castle. It is 11J inches 
in circumference and 4 inches long exclusive of the stalk ; the skin is 
transparent and glossy, streaked and flushed with red, the specimen as 
combining size with colour being one of the most handsome we have 
seen. 
- A LARGE bed of Madame Desgrange Chrysanthemum is one of the 
features of Hampton Court Gardens in October. This year the 
plants are a little irregular, and several of them appear to be producing 
growths differing from the original, but flowers on these are not ex¬ 
panded. A bed of G. Wermig is a sheet of soft yellow, this sport 
invariably flowering earlier than its white prototype. Mrs. H. Hawkins, 
the new golden sport from G Wermig, is an acquisition of the season, 
and likely to be extensively grown in pots and borders. 
-—- We have received the schedule of the Ledbury Autumn 
Fruit Show, which is to be held on October 25th. Prizes are offered 
for collections of dessert and culinary Apples, also for single dishes of 
approved specified varieties of Apples and Pears, with a guinea prize for 
the heaviest Apple. Cider and perry fruits are also provided for, and 
there are two classes each for Grapes and Tomatoes. The competition, 
we presume, is open to all, though this does not appear to be stated in 
the schedule. Mr. Jesse Garwood, Ledbury, is the Honorary Secretary. 
-Apple Grand Sultan.—A few trees of this variety will be 
found useful where early dessert Apples are in demand. Worked on 
the Paradise stock, and grown either as upright cordons or bushes, they 
bear abundantly. The fruits ripen with us about the end of August, 
and for early Apples are well flavoured if eaten as soon as ripe ; but 
they soon become “ sleepy ” and decay round the core, so that for 
private use two or three trees are sufficient. Their attractive appear¬ 
ance and pleasant scent would secure them a ready sale in the market.— 
J. H. W. 
_ A Good Catch of Earwigs.—M r. H. Osman writes 
“ Having found something was eating the fruit on a Peach and Necta¬ 
rine tree, I inserted about two dozen earwig traps — Broad Bean 
stalks, &c. I found yesterday on blowing the contents into boiling 
water I had caught a very great number. Therefore, to satisfy my 
curicsity, I counted them, and found 513, then seventy-seven in one trap, 
