88 JouEiXAT. OF THE jMiTciFELL SociETY [September 



tetrasporic plants, not siilticiently mature to produce reproductive 

 bodies and hence indistinguishable, to bring their numbers to a parity 

 with the males in the control cultures for 1014 and 1915. Exami- 

 nation of the various tables will show that sterile plants are all rela- 

 tively small in size. During the entire course of these experiments 

 very few were found as much as 30 mm. in length. This is true, 

 however, only late in the season. When the plants first appear, late 

 in June at Beaufort, they seem never to fruit until quite large, 60 to 

 100 mm. in length. 



When the cultures from unfertilized eggs (Tables 3, 6, and 9) are 

 compared with the controls, the only noteworthy difference is the 

 greater number of tetrasporic plants found. Compare the following 

 summaries : 



CONTROL CULTURES 



Date 



1912. 

 1914. 

 1915. 



Totals .- 



Average per culture. 



UNFERTILIZED EGGS 



Number of 

 Successful 

 Cultures 



30 



1 



190 

 142 



333 

 11 + 



20 

 142 

 93 



255 



8+ 



24 

 166 

 244 



434 

 14+ 



Average 

 Number 

 of Plants 



Per 

 Culture 



15 



26+ 

 59+ 



34+ 



Whence comes this excess of tetrasporic plants in the cultures from 

 unfertilized eggs as compared with the controls. The writer thinks 

 that they are unquestionably due to eggs which were fertilized pre- 



