24 ScJiivcly — Recent Observations on 



appearance because of great increase in seed growth — in other 

 words, into subterranean pods. There was certainly great 

 similarity between those artificially produced and the ones 

 normally resulting. Specimens of aerial legumes in different 

 stages of development were selected for experiment, as fol- 

 lows : {a) with the ovary just emerging from the calyx, {b) 

 the well-formed but young legume, and {c) older specimens 

 still quite flattened. Satisfactory results were obtained from 

 burying in the soil for a period of from four to six weeks. 



Considering the success of the preceding work, it was 

 regarded as possible to obtain a subterranean legume from a 

 purple flower. Accordingly, experiments to verify this sup- 

 position were begun in August, 1897. Tiny racemes just show- 

 ing faint indications of purple color were buried. Racemes 

 situated high on the plant were purposely selected. In about 

 six weeks, fair-sized legumes were obtained — perfect counter- 

 parts of those which had been normally produced. Strange to 

 say, too, all were one-seeded. In no case did more than one 

 lesrume result from a raceme ; in some cases none. But in 

 this connection, it must be also remembered, how few legumes 

 often mature from a heavily laden raceme of purple flowers. 



The problem now Vv^as to ascertain how this treatment had 

 affected the histological peculiarities of the legumes and also 

 the seeds. Specimens resulting from all these experiments 

 were carefully examined and the details in several cases will 

 be given. For reasons which will be made evident in a later 

 part of this paper, the facts gleaned from these will surely 

 serve as strong bases for argument. The series to be ex- 

 plained consisted of legumes resulting from burying purple 

 flowers and from two different stages of legume yielded by the 

 green aerial flowers. They may be referred to as follows : 



(a) Legume resulting from burying purple flower, (h) Legume 

 resulting from burying flat but wcll-frrmed legume developed 

 from green aerial flower, (c) Legume residting from burying a 

 more mature legume than {h)fro?n green aerial flower. 



