This plant is not surpassed by the Vine for fruitfulness under ordinarily favourable conditions; and it is a mistake to suppose that it will not set its fruit without being impregnated with pollen from P. edulis, as has been asserted on several occasions by some writers.

In December 18G9 we bought two plants from the nursery - newly-struck cuttings in 3-inch pots, each about 9 inches high. They were taken out and potted both together in a 14-inch pot as one plant, and plunged in a Pine-bed. The Pines were started gently in February, and the Passiflora was allowed to grow on along with them. It soon began to grow freely, and was trained up a pillar and along a narrow space under the apex of the span-roof close to the ventilators: seven or eight shoots were led away from the stem at the top of the pillar, all others being cut clean out as they appeared, allowing those that were retained to grow as much as they pleased. By August each shoot had attained a length of about 18 feet, and began to show flowers along their whole length; and all expanded nearly simultaneously, for in three days one hundred blooms were set successfully, with the exception of two or three - some places three and four in a cluster on short spurs. All the fruit attained the size of pigeon-eggs, when, out of sheer inability, I suppose, of so young a plant to bear such a crop - exactly about one-half of the fruit suddenly shrivelled and dropped off, particularly where set in clusters.

From this time also the plant ceased making more wood, and the fruit swelled fast, and began to ripen about the beginning of November, filling the house at the same time with a peculiarly strong aroma. Being all set about the same time, the fruit were nearly all alike in size, the biggest weighing ½ lb. each. Throughout the summer the heat of the Pine-bed, into which I found the Passiflora had rooted, ranged from 85° to 90°, top heat the same. A few days ago the shoots were shortened back, and the roots, which had found their way through the bottom of the pot, were cut off, but the leaves are yet vigorous and green.

The edible part of the fruit consists of the seeds and pulp inside, and has a peculiar and refreshing flavour. When eaten, a slice is taken off the side of the fruit, a slit made in the tough sack which contains the seeds, a little madeira sherry poured in, and the contents supped out like an egg. J. Simpson.

Wortly.

Passiflora Quadrangularis #1

We are interested in Mr Simpson's article on the above-named plant (p. 71 of the 'Gardener'). Having grown it for the last ten years, and failed to produce fruit to any extent, we may simply state that our plant is grown in a span-roofed cucumber-house, the roots having a space to themselves, and the benefit of a part of the hot-water tank at the north end of the house. The shoots are trained along under the ridge of the roof, and bloom abundantly. The flowers impart to the atmosphere a pleasing odour, and soon drop off.

The P. edulis fruits freely with us, but the pollen taken from it exerted no influence on P. Quadrangularis, more than a dozen other varieties with which we experimented. On P. quadrangularis we once had two fruits effected by pollen from Tacsonia mollissima, and last year one fruit from its own pollen.

What we are anxious to know, and perhaps Mr Simpson will kindly state, is, What number of glands are on the footstalk of a full-developed leaf of P. quadrangularis to which he refers? We believe they are characteristic. Are we right in supposing that all the flowers on his plants were impregnated?

We may further state, that when in the forcing department at Taymouth Castle eighteen years ago, the back-wall of two fruiting Pine - stoves was covered with two plants of P. quadrangularis inarched on the P. edulis. They produced hundreds of fruits in a season, which were highly esteemed both for dessert and culinary purposes. The plants received no special treatment. Their roots were under a part of the back pathway, consequently they had no bottom-heat; and being soft-rooted gross feeders, they were occasionally supplied with liquid manure when watering the Pines, but the flowers were impregnated with their own pollen.

The two cases coming under my own observation being so different in their results, we have changed our plant five times, always trusting to get the true P. quadrangularis, there being more than one sent out under that name. G. Donaldson.

Keith Hall.