334 ANNUAL REPORT. 



mitted to pistillate ones through the fructification of the flower. 

 I was surprised to learn that it was so great as to render it of a 

 widely different character, almost unrecognizable, transmitting not 

 only the color of the pollen-bearing variety, but the size, form, and 

 texture of fruit as well. 



Mr. J. T. Lovett further said: I have experimented with melons 

 also, and have found that the male element affected the melon as 

 well as the seeds. I am aware of the fact that the subject before 

 the house is one bearing upon vegetable physiology, but if the pol- 

 len fertilizing the flower of a pistillate variety exerts no influ nee 

 upon the pulp of the Strawberry, why plant pollen-bearing varie- 

 ties near pistillate ones? or, in other words, why fertilize the blos- 

 soms of pistillate varieties at all? For analogy's sake I extended 

 my experiments to melons, and found the influence of the pollen 

 fertilizing the blossoms equally potent in its influence upon the 

 flesh of the fruit. Seeds of musk melons were placed by the side of 

 cucumbers, and also in an isolated location. Those near the 

 cucumbers partook of their character to an extent that rendered 

 them unpalatable, while those grown where the blossoms were self- 

 fertilized were excellent. I took the precarticn to have all the 

 seed used in the experiment taken from the same melon. 



W. C. Strong, of Massachusetts. I had Manchester between 

 Sharpless and Charles Downing, and it did well. Mr. Capen, of 

 Boston, has had wonderful results with the Manchester fertilized 

 with Charles Downing. 



P. J. Berckmans, of Georgia. I think this influence of pollen 

 might largely account for the variety of success with certain ber- 

 ries, even more than a variety of soil. 



H. M. Engle, of Pennylvania. The remarks of Mr. Rogers open 

 up a great question. I should like more experience on this point 

 because we have so many pistillate varieties. 



E. Williams, of New Jersey. I never had anything produce bet- 

 ter on my grounds than Manchester fertilized with Sharpless and 

 Charles Downing. I have seen a bed fertilized by Wilson that 

 failed. 



Secretary Beal, of Michigan. This is an exceedingly interesting 

 topic. If the results are as claimed by the former speakers, they 

 are indeed wonderful. The edible portion of the strawberry is not 

 a true fruit in the botanical sense, but a large torus or receptacle^ 

 which is the tip end of the flower stem very much enlarged. This 

 is a promising field for many well tried and often repeated experi- 

 ments. 



