ON THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF BULBS. 377 
other kinds are,) by being planted in a shallow border of dry mate¬ 
rials ; but, in this case, neither bunches nor berries will be so large. 
The Black Hamburgh grape is a variety that finds its way into every 
vinery, and it is remarkable how very susceptible the bunches and ber¬ 
ries of this sort are of enlargement by the means above alluded to. 
Pruning thinly to engross the shoots, allowing one bunch only to each 
young shoot, and one dozen berries, or less, on each bunch, brings the 
berries to the size of Orlean plums. The same means effect the same 
result on all other kinds of fruit, and other productions, where a plurality 
are produced together. 
On the Constitution and Functions of Bulbs. —Our atten¬ 
tion has been particularly drawn to this subject, at this time, by an 
excellent paper on the vegetation of the bulbs or tubers of the Crocus, 
by Dr. Augustus Trinchinetti, in the last number of “ The Gardener’s 
Magazine;” one of the best communications on the constitution and 
development of tuberous bulbs that ever has been published. 
It is well known that the great Linnseus considered bulbs as under¬ 
ground buds—a very good definition, because, as a bud in its evolution 
exhibits a stem, and leaves, and flowers, and fruit, so does the bulb do 
the same, but with this difference, that, whereas the stem of a bud 
is persisting, that of a bulb or tuber is fugitive, and annually perish¬ 
able. 
From the time of Grew down to the present day, it does not appear 
that the manner of the development of bulbs or tubers has been much 
studied. That they have been dissected and figured, for the sake of 
giving them proper names, has been done by many former writers ; but 
no one has entered into the minutia of the development as has been 
done by Dr. Trinchinetti. 
The bulb of the Crocus scitivus, examined in its dormant state, 
consists of a parenchymatous starchy substance, which forms a flattish 
globular body, surrounded by dry loosely-fibered coats, succeeding each 
other like scales, and forming funnels placed one within the other, and 
gradually decreasing in size, which can be easily separated, but which 
are all attached at their base. If you take away these membranous 
funnels, you will find a solid whitish bulb within them, somewhat com¬ 
pressed [depressed] in the upper part, and marked horizontally with 
circular lines, which are nothing more than the bases of the membranous 
funnels, or coats, which have been thrown off by the bulb, or taken 
away from it. In the centre of the upper part of this bulb, or near 
the centre of it, there are three, or sometimes even more, cones, formed 
of finer funnel-shaped coats, under each of which appears a small 
VOL. v.— no. lxiv. 3 c 
