4.V2 



Till-: JcjLKNAL OF 11i;ki;i)itv 





/ 



FIRST GENERATION OF THE CROSS 



At tlif rij^hl is one of the hybrid plants produced by the cross of the black medick on alfalfa. 

 It was numbered A6, and its flowers self-fertilized. From this selfed seed was produced 

 the Yi generation. In this second generation a considerable amount of segregation took 

 place. In the first generation there was much variation, even between plants raised 

 from seeds in the same pod. The plant shown at the left is a young shoot (Fig. 5.) 



months of June and July until the 

 middle of Auj^ust without a single cross 

 scttinj,' seed. 



Owinj^ to the hot and dry weather 

 the flowers faded and dried in such a 

 short time that j^Tcat difficulty was 

 experienced in obtaininjj; sufficient 

 flowers in a suitable conditioti for the 

 purjjose of hybridization. 



Under such circumstances, in order 

 to continue the tests it was found 

 necessary to use any alfalfa ])lant, no 



matUT lu what strain it l)clonged, pro- 

 \'ided it was bearing healthy and 

 vigorous flowers. While searching for 

 such ])lants I found one growing in an 

 adjoining discarded grass plot ; it jjos- 

 sessed a rich green foliage with an 

 almndance of healthy, vigorous, violet 

 flowers. A number of these flowers 

 were emasculated and crossetl with 

 l)ollen from black medick which was 

 obtained from the flowers of various 

 jjlants growing as weeds in the \ncinity. 



