24 GENETICS [Box. Absts., Vol. X, 



selection" is presented. Citrus orchards studied generally showed 10-90 per cent of trees of 

 inferior "strains," averaging about 25 per cent; rebudding such trees from superior trees has 

 greatly increased the yield in many cases. — Howard B. Frost. 



126. Shamel, a. D. The Satsuma orange in southern Alabama. California Citrograph 

 6: 308, 328-331. 6 fig. 1921. — This popular article includes an outline of rules of the Alabama 

 State Board of Horticulture regulating citrus propagation. After Nov. 1, 1921, the Board 

 will furnish information to propagators about orchards suitable as sources of bud wood, and 

 every lot of trees sold must carry a certificate tracing the trees to the parent orchard. From 

 Nov. 1, 1924, similar provisions relating to the individual parent trees are to be enforced. — 

 Howard B. Frost. 



127. Shamel, A. D. Top-worked citrus trees. California Citrograph 6: 109, 134. 3 fi,g. 

 1921. — The use of buds from performance-record trees in all top-working is urged. — Howard B. 

 Frost. 



128. Stout, A. B. Conference notes for November and December. Jour. New York 

 Bot. Gard. 22: 15-19. 1921. — The author reported on flower types in grapes with reference 

 to fruit development. Excellent study material is available at the New York Agricultural 

 Experiment Station at Geneva, where thousands of European and American grape seedlings 

 are raised. Breeding and selection of parentage are necessary to produce desirable flowers, 

 particularly for production of seedless varieties. The latter are strongly male and weakly 

 female. Crosses between seedless and near-seedless plants, used as the pollen parent, with 

 strongly female plants result in strongly female and seed-producing progeny. Crosses between 

 Ist-generation hybrids of standard seed varieties with Hubbard seedless resulted in strongly 

 female plants producing seeded fruit, the strong femaleness of seeded fruit being dominant 

 over weak femaleness of seedless fruit. Some seedless fruits may be expected by segregation 

 in later generations. A few viable seeds may be produced by crossing seedless varieties, as 

 pollen parent, and near-seedless varieties, as female parent, although most of these are gen- 

 erally strongly male. Thus, families may be obtained, strongly male and weakly female, 

 producing some seedless fruit. — F. W. Pennell reported on the trend of evolution in American 

 species of Veronica and near allies of the Scrophulariaceae, and T. Haevey Johnston on his 

 mission to the U. S. A. for the Prickly Pear Travelling Commission. — At the December con- 

 ference H. A. Gleason reported on "Siphocampylus and Centropogon in South America," 

 and P. A. Rydberg on the genus Diphysa. — Francena R. Meyer. 



129. Stout, A. B. Types of flowers and intersexes in grapes with reference to fruit develop- 

 ment. New York Agric. Exp. Sta. Bull. 82. 16 p., 7 pi. 1921. — A detailed report is presented 

 of the different types of flowers among varieties of grapes together with an investigation into 

 the probable cause of the production of seedless varieties. The usual classification of grape 

 flowers into staminate, perfect hermaphrodite, and imperfect hermaphrodite for all general 

 purposes is retained but the author points out that besides these flower types there are a 

 number of variations. Especial attention is called to a flower type having a well developed 

 pistil but rapidly degenerating stamens. The filaments instead of being straight and long 

 are crinkled and the pollen is generally impotent. A description of several other types of 

 flowers is included, with 7 plates and 39 figures. — The author points out that grape flowers 

 for convenience may be grouped according to the degree of maleness or femaleness which they 

 exhibit. Staminate flowers are male in character even though rudiments of the pistil may be 

 observed. Imperfect hermaphrodites are weak in maleness because of the degeneration of 

 the stamens and pollen grains. Perfect hermaphrodites are equally strong in both maleness 

 and femaleness and these flowers are found associated with the best commercial varieties. — 

 Fruitful perfect hermaphrodites with weakly developed pistils are weak in femaleness in in- 

 verse ratio to the number of viable seeds that are produced. It is among these flowers that 

 the type is sought which is responsible for the production of seedless and nearseedless grapes. — 

 A clear distinction is drawn between vines that produce seedless fruits developing from flowers 

 requiring merely a pollen stimulus without true fertilization for fruit production, and those 



