SUPERNUMERARY CARPELS TN COTTON BOLLS. 



27 



the season, though the days are hot and dry. As the normal period 

 of growth and development of the plant is at night, it seems not 

 unreasonable to suppose that the low temperatures might induce 

 such abnormalities. This abnormality has also been observed at 

 other points where the growing seasons are limited or the nights 

 cool, such as Kerrville, Tex., and Chico, Cal. 



OCCURRENCE AT CLARKSVILLE, TEX. 



During the autumn of 1912 many unusually good examples of 

 these supernumerary carpels were observed at Clarksville, Tex., 

 occurring commonly in otherwise normal bolls. They were detected 

 only in the bolls at the base of the plant — those developed earliest 

 in the spring. The spring of that year was rather late and somewhat 

 cooler than usual, and it may 



be on this account that the ! 



abnormalities were produced 

 in such abundance. 



Nearly allspecimens exam- 

 ined were so well developed 

 that they contained rudi- 

 mentary lint-covered seeds. 

 Specimens consisting of from 

 two to five separated or con- 

 nected leaf -like members were 

 examined and there was 

 no mistaking their nature 1 . 

 When flattened out they re- 

 sembled miniature elliptical 

 or slightly lobed leaves with 

 inturned thickened margins. 

 The rudimentary ovules in 

 some cases appeared to be 

 borne on the thickened mar- 

 gins, wliile in others they 

 seemed to be in a line extending from the sinus between the small 

 lobes and their point of attachment to the peduncle. 



An exceptional specimen in which apparently normal seeds had 

 developed in one of these supernumerary carpels was found at Clarks- 

 ville, Tex., by Mr. C. H. Clark. (See fig. 2.) 



The two seeds inclosed in one of these carpels, though somewhat 

 smaller than normal, produced abundant fiber of good length and 

 strength. This specimen was not observed until after the locks had 

 been removed from the normal carpels and the supernumerary carpels 

 had been somewhat mutilated, but the indications from the broken 



[Cir. Ill] 



Fig. l>. Well-developed supernumerary carpels inclosing 

 apparently normal seeds. From Clarksville, Tex. ( Nat- 

 ural size.) 



