It is announced from Vienna that a process indicated by M. Hooibrenk, for facilitating the fertilization of plants, has proved successful in the Botanical Gardens there. The process consists simply in touching the end of the pistil - that is, the stigma - in a flower, with a pencil dipped in honey, or, better, in honey having mixed with it some pollen of the plant operated upon. A Hibiscus Mexicnum which had never yielded fruit, having undergone this treatment, produced quite a large quantity of good seeds. With several fruit trees the process also succeeded. Further, after operating on certain branches only of trees which did not yield fruit, it was found that fruit developed and was formed on these, while the branches left in the natural state gave none. The effect, if real, may be explained by supposing that the honey retains the pollen grains on the stigma, and thus favors the formation of a pollen tube, which is indispensable to the fertilization.

Corresponding Editors; Josiah Hoopes, James Taplin, Mark Miller

Vol.29. May, 1874. N0. 335

Special Contribution.