154 



This information indicates definitely that seeds can very 

 generally be obtained when plants are in good bloom, provided 

 there is proper cross-pollination and suggests that the types of 

 sterility operating are, 1st, the non-blooming condition, and 

 2nd, either the one-sided impotence of intersexualism or, what 

 appears to be more probable, certain incompatibilities in fer- 

 tilization. 



Data Regarding Flowering and Production of Seed by 



Sweet Potatoes 



It seems best to the writer to present the information obtained 

 according to geographic and political areas and to quote various 

 correspondents rather fully and exactly. It is hoped that this 

 will be agreeable to all parties involved. It is, of course, readily 

 understood that further observation on the part of some who 

 are quoted would undoubtedly lead to a somewhat different 

 statement. 



Q New Jersey. Dr. Mel. T. Cook states to the writer that in 



his ten years' experience in New Jersey he has never seen blooms 

 on the sweet potato but that growers have occasionally re|:)orted 

 bloom. The densest acreage of sweet jjotatoes for the United 

 States is in New Jersey. 



o Dr. Groth (see under Santo Domingo) writes of tiie sweet 



potato varieties, "Some bloom e\en in New Jersey, as I found 

 when I had my experiments there in 1905-1906." 



Virginia. "During the past season (1921) we had ciuantities 

 of sweet potatoes to blossom in this state although I have no 

 record of any instance where any seed were matured." A. G. 

 Smith, Jr., in charge Vegetable Extension, \'irginia Agricultural 

 College. 

 ^ Kentucky. "Such blooms are rarely seen in this section and 

 I do not recall that I have personally seen them at all." — Cf. W. 

 Mathews, Horticulturist, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. 



y Okl.mioma. "This plant occasional!)' produces blossoms in 

 this state; however, up to date I have not been able to collect 

 seed of the sweet potato in this state." — F. M. Rolfs, Horti- 

 culturist, Oklahoma Experiment Station. 



North Carolina. "During the sc.ison of i()io it was my 

 experience to observe a prcjluse blossoming in the Norton \'am 

 variety, which variety is one of thirty in our variety tests, and 

 following this I made some provision for ' trapping' or sa\ing any 

 seed that might be produccfl. Out of possibK- two luuKhed 



