-i8 5 - 



upon the other is fictitious. It has been suggested by one who 

 has followed this experiment that even if the cucumber pollen 

 will not fertilize the musk-melon, it may still exert a sort of sec- 

 ondary influence if applied along with musk-melon pollen. But 

 if the cucumber pollen does not even possess the power of devel- 

 oping the fruit walls, as our experiments show, it is inconceivable 

 that it should exert any influence whatever. The single seedless 

 fruit of cucumber which developed in the musk-melon pollina- 

 tions, does not prove that musk-melon pollen will cause the de- 

 velopment of the fruit walls of the cucumber, for our experiments 

 have shown conclusively that cucumbers will often develop to full 

 size without any pollination whatever. ;]: Those who make ex- 

 periments in the pollination of musk-melons must bear in mind 

 that some varieties bear perfect flowers, and the anthers must be 

 removed before the flower opens. 



Our experience indicates, therefore, that the common opinion 

 that cucumbers spoil musk-melons is, at least, exceedingly doubt- 

 ful. 



5. Progression of flowers. — When I first began to cross the 

 cucurbits I noticed that all plants produce far more staminate than 

 pistillate flowers, and that the staminate flowers appear much 

 earlier in the season than the pistillate. A study of Hubbard and 

 Boston Marrow squashes in 1887 showed that pistillate flowers 

 rapidly decreased in numbers during a prolonged drouth. Records 

 were also kept of the number and time of appearing of the flowers 

 of each sex in other cucurbits, but as those records were not pub- 

 lished, I have had similar ones made this year. All the flowers 

 were counted as they appeared upon two musk-melon plants, one 

 water-melon and one cucumber plant. These plants were all 

 treated to ordinary garden conditions ; no pollinations were made 

 upon them, and no flowers were removed, so that their character- 

 istics as recorded below are entirely normal. In forcing cucurbits 

 in winter, such as cucumbers, musk-melons, summer squashes 

 and benincasa, I have invariably noticed this same disposition to 

 form staminate flowers first and most abundantly. 



*The matter of cucumber pollination, together with notes upon the forc- 

 ing of cucumbers, will form the subject of a future bulletin. 



