274 



The Journal of Heredity 



lack of reproductive power has pre- 

 vented their continued ijropagation and 

 crossing with ordinary plants. 



DEGENERATE EGGPLANTS 



In the breeding of eggplants there 

 have appeared plants that may deserve 

 a place among the degenerates. Here 

 as in the last mentioned cases the ab- 

 normal individuals have come from 

 parents that conformed to the usual type 

 but were in combinations between well- 

 marked species and not the more simple 

 crosses of commercial varieties. For 

 example, when the Solaniim mclongena 

 is bred with 5. integrifolia there results 

 at once a set of unexpected giant plants 

 that are very much larger than either 

 parent, and as a rule bloom profusely but 

 form fruit at rare intervals. Many 

 plants, the largest ones, are entirely 

 barren, while the smaller specimens pro- 

 duce enough seeds for the continuation 

 of the stock. Unlike the Oligosperm 

 these degenerates are less infertile and 

 have frequently been bred with their 

 parents. 



In the F2 of the eggplant hybrids there 

 is a range of plants all the way from 

 dwarfs that are bloomless to giants with 

 countless flowers but nearly fruitless, as 

 in the Fi. Here the extremes represent 

 the two types of deficient plants. The 

 union that brought the series into exist- 

 ance was obtained with much difficulty 

 and is not looked for in a state of nature, 

 while should it occur there are reasons 

 for expecting that it would soon disap- 

 pear as lacking the qualities that make 

 for a continuation of the species. 



The Prairie berry {Solaniim nigrum) 

 in the hands of the "breeder has behaved 

 in a manner that suggests a notice here. 

 Dr. Groth had the type species and the 

 green-fruited variety in the breeding 

 grounds for years, and the crosses 

 which were secured after a very long 

 series of faikires exhibited a variety of 

 forms that seemed to l)e limited only 

 by the number of individuals grown. 

 Thus, from normal jjarents there was 

 obtained a small i)ercentage of dwarfs 

 of two sizes, the smaller being only 5 

 cm. in height. There were upright 

 plants and those that remained pros- 

 trate ujjon the ground. They varied 



in shaije and size of leaf, flower and 

 fruit, the latter being black, green or 

 piebald when ripe; some very acid, 

 others sweet, etc. As a rule the 

 Prairie berry is a selfcd species and it has 

 been determined in many instances that 

 the F2 tyijc is perpetuated with a fair 

 degree of uniformity. 



Here, as among other subjects in this 

 I^aper, the degenerates are the extremes 

 among the progeny, namely, the remark- 

 able dwarfs usually with few or no fruits 

 and the largest plants bearing almost no 

 seeds. It is likely that the latter are big 

 because they are barren. A series of 

 tests has been running for several years 

 to demonstrate the effect of the prompt 

 removal of all flowers as they appear 

 upon normal jilants, and the results show 

 that the natural life of the deflowered 

 plant is prolonged and the size much 

 augmented. 



From a study of mounted ])lants in the 

 larger of American herbaria it is evident 

 that the species under consideration is 

 remarkably variable, although no dwarfs 

 were found. It seems to be probable 

 that interbreeding infrequently takes 

 place in nature and because of the 

 selfing habit many types are widesjiread. 

 The dwarfs, while they may make up a 

 small fraction of the wild plants, would 

 be passed by as unworthy of considera- 

 tion by the collector. 



SURPRISES FROM BEANS 



The breeding work with beans has 

 been fruitful in obtaining results that 

 warrant mention here. For a time sur- 

 ])rises attended each step, particularh- 

 as to the range of possible unions. Self- 

 ing prevails among the several species 

 and natural crosses between different 

 varieties of the navy bean (Phaseolus 

 vulgaris), while they occasionally occur, 

 are quite exce]jtional. Failure has at- 

 tended all the many attem])ts to breed 

 between certain s])ecies of the genus, 

 as, for exani])le, the Lima and snap 

 beans. With the Scarlet Runner (P. 

 multijlorus) the results have been more 

 successful and it is of these unions among 

 beans that mention is here made. E. J. 

 Owen, who has immediate charge of the 

 breeding with beans, has been unable to 

 get hybrids in both directions, and 



