EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 323 



Plant 12 of the above series (from mother plant No. 29) was 

 full of interest because of the acceptable spinelessness (which 

 was absolute and not relative) of the plant in all its parts. The 

 dark purple color prevailed in stem and foliage, making in this 

 respect a plant closely akin to the "Black Snake" and the "Black 

 Pekin" and their class. The flowers were produced in great 

 abundance and were of good size and a rich light purple ; they set 

 well and the plant produced a dozen fruits that averaged ten 

 ounces while as many more smaller ones were on the way to 

 maturity when the October frosts brought an end to the life of 

 the hybrid plant. 



The fruits are a flat oval with very indistinct ribs and, when 

 mature, of a color not easily described; for the upper end next 

 to the calyx is a shade of purple with a suggestion of bronze, 

 while the lower end is a true purple and the equatorial zone is a 

 mixture of the shades of the two ends dove-tailed together and 

 more or less mottled. In sectional view, the interior of the fruit 

 resembles somewhat a large tomato with several seed cavities 

 (locules) that, in themselves, are very irregular and partially 

 divided and giving the impression of a large number of locules. 

 The seeds are very few, thus furnishing a large percentage of 

 pulp. When tasted raw, the flesh is bitter and indicates that much 

 further breeding will be required before the ideal hybrid is 

 secured, namely, one that is spineless, productive and the fruits 

 of marketable size with a flesh that is desired for its palateable- 

 ness. The firmness of flesh and its long-keeping quality are 

 points already secured, to which may be added the other necessary 

 characteristics of a plant to make it acceptable by the market 

 gardener, as well as the amateur who enjoys novelties that are of 

 worth. 



A number of crosses upon this plant are in sight that will iri- 

 crease the percentage of the "American" parentage and probably 

 bring out a diversity of form and color from which a choice may 

 be made. The vicissitudes of plant breeding might make an in- 

 teresting chapter were the full feeling of the breeder written into 

 it. In the present case, the finest, largest and first fruit resulted 

 from hand-working the flower with pollen from the "Ivory," but, 

 just before the much cherished fruit was to be taken for seeding, 



