Wester : Carica Papaya 



145 



ing the growth and development of the fruits, in view of the fact 

 that the number of ovules is small and the wall of the ovary thick 

 where the stigma is small, while the number of ovules is great and 

 the cavity large and the ovary wall thin where the stigmatic area 



is large. 



The seed from the different fruits was saved and planted in 

 1906. A large number of these seedlings perished, unfortunately, 

 in the hurricane in October and the severe freeze of December 

 the same year. Of those that survived a very much larger num- 

 ber proved to be hermaphrodite plants than is the case with seed- 

 lings grown from fruits commonly found in the market. 



2 





7 



Fig. 2. Outlines of fruits of Carica Papaya. (About 1/6 natural size. ) 



Since the above notes were made, the flowers on a large number 

 of papaya plants have been examined. Few hermaphrodite plants 

 are found, but, in all trees bearing bisexual flowers that have been 

 noted, the variation in the structure of the flowers, as stated above, 



has been recorded. . 



The papaya, as commonly propagated at present, has too large 

 a percentage of worthless seedlings to be commercially Potable. 



S 



seldom 

 that 



to obtain and is so difficult to root without bottom heat 

 or never used in rooting plants in the tropics or subtropics 

 this mode of propagating a good variety does not commend itself. 

 It has been demonstrated at the Subtropical Laboratory that in- 

 arching can be done, but this is necessarily a slow and cumber- 



some method of propagation. 



An attempt to originate a variety of papaya by mbreed.ng 



