EXPERIMENTS WITH TOMATO BLOSSOMS. 31 



respects similar to those of experiment L6 were decapitated and bagged without 

 being pollinated, bul arc to be pollinated with fresh pollen of Livingston Potato Leaf 

 when the pistils become mature. 



April 11, 10 a. m. These 10 flowers were pollinated with fresh pollen of Living- 

 ston Potato Leaf. The flowers were fresh with decapitated calyx and corolla lobes 

 reflexed and the pistils apparently receptive. No difference in appearance was 

 noticed between these flowers and those of experiment 16. 



May 9. Ten good, healthy green fruits found -.'rowing. 



Results of the experiment: Ten good fruits. 



On the same day,and of course before the results of experiments 16 

 and 17 were known, experiments L8 and l'.» were commenced. It was 

 thought likely that experiment 17 would give so much better results 

 than experiment 1»> that it would be necessary to explain in what way 

 the first pollination in experiment L6 and similar experiments had 

 injured the pistils. If the injury was due. as in the case of tobacco 

 flowers, to the growth of pollen tubes down the immature pistils, sub- 

 stances other than pollen would not act in that way: while if the injury 

 should prove to be due simply to the coating on the stigmas, some 

 other substance might have the same injurious effect. Since quite a 

 number of ripe tomatoes had been examined and found to contain no 

 seeds, it was thought that this tendency to set fruit without pollination 

 mio-ht be increased by the irritation of the stigmas by the application 

 of some substance other than pollen. Consequently in some of the 

 following experiments magnesium sulphate was employed in the place 

 of pollen. 



Experiment IS. — April 3, 4 p. m. This experiment is similar to experiment 16 in 

 all respects except that magnesium sulphate was used in place of fresh pollen to coat 

 over the surface of the stigmas immediately after decapitation. Ten flower buds of 

 the same variety and in all respects similar to those of experiment 17 were decapi- 

 tated and the pistils dipped at once into powdered magnesium sulphate, and the 

 flowers bagged. 



April 11, 10.30 a. m. The 10 flowers were pollinated with fresh pollen of Liv- 

 ingston Potato Leaf. The darkened appearance of the stigmas of the flowers when 

 pollinated indicated some injury due to the magnesium sulphate. 



May 9. Three good fruits found developing. Two of the blossoms were still fresh 

 and green, with large stems and large green calyx lobes, but had failed to set fruit, 

 while the rest of the 10 flowers had fallen without setting fruit. 



Results of the experiment: Three good fruits. 



Experiment 19.— April 3, 4.30 p. m. Ten blossom buds of the same variety and in 

 all respects similar to those of experiment 18 were decapitated, and the pistils 

 dipped at once into powdered magnesium sulphate and the flowers bagged. 



April 11. The 10 flowers were examined and found in the same condition as those 

 of experiment 18 at this time. 



May 9. Two of the blossoms were found still fresh and green with large stems and 

 large, green calyx lobes, but they had failed to set fruit, while the other 8 blossoms 

 had fallen without setting fruit. 



Results of the experiment: No fruits. 



Experiment 20. — April 3, 5 p. m. Five blossom buds of Lorillard and 5 of Sutton's 

 Best of All were emasculated and bagged. 



April 11, 11.30 a. m. The stigmas of these blossoms were coated with magnesium 



