Reproductive Structures of Vascular Plants 181 



Young fruits are processed in accordance with the methods given 

 above for older ovaries. The curraiit tomato and many siliques are 

 small enough even when nearly mature to have complete sections 

 on a slide. Fruits that are more than 1 cm. in diameter should be 

 subdivided and suitable pieces selected from the regions that are to 

 be studied. The developing drupe of Priimis virginiana is an excel- 

 lent subject. To prepare small cherry fruits for killing, remove a thin 

 vertical slice from each side of some fruits and from the top 

 and bottom of others, thus furnishing material for transverse as well 

 as longitudinal sections. Kill in FAA for vascular study and in Allen- 

 Bouin II or Craf III for better fixation of the embryo. The presence 

 of brown pigmentation in many fruits produces poor contrast with 

 the hematoxylins, but safranin-fast green is usually satisfactory. 



The great array of fruits available to the technician presents a 

 wide range of size, texture, and other properties, from the juicy berry 

 to the flinty caryopsis. It is, therefore, quite impossible to offer gen- 

 eralized recommendations. The worker who ventures to prepare fruits 

 and seeds has probably gained sufficient experience with easier sub- 

 jects to adapt the fundamental methods given in this manual. 



