Bnichus-infestecl Beans. 377 



whole number of seeds sown not more than three or four 

 failed to germmate. Three, however, gave rise to plants 

 entirely devoid of colouring-matter, which grew to the 

 height of five or six inches only, produced a few yellowish- 

 whFte leaves, and then withered away. The plants 

 proceeding from the remainder, however, were to all 

 appearance strong and healthy, rapidly increased in 

 size, and showed no sign whatever of weakness or disease. 

 But, just as in the first instance, the show of blossoms, 

 when in due course they appeared, told a difierent tale, 

 and it became evident that in most cases the reproductive 

 powers were seriously diminished by the presence of the 

 weevil in the seed."' Several plants were altogether 

 barren; others boasted of no more than one or two 

 small flowers ; while scarcely five per cent, of the whole 

 number could be credited with the average yield. 



Contrary to my expectations, however, I could not 

 find that the produce of the individual plants was pro- 

 portionate to the number of perforations sustained by 

 the seed. One plant, for instance, the seed of which was 

 tenanted by no less than six weevils, nevertheless bore 

 nine pods, of which seven arrived at maturity. On the 

 other hand, several raised from seed attacked by one 

 beetle only were barren. So little rule was there in this 

 respect, indeed, that I was compelled to relinquish my 

 original intention of classifying the plants according to 

 the number of perforations sustained by the seed, and to 

 content myself with ascertaining the whole number of 

 pods produced by each variety, and striking an average 

 therefrom by dividing the result by the number of plants. 

 The distribution of the pods was briefly as follows :— 

 The plants of No. 1 variety (Carter's "Leviathan") 

 were 86 in number, four of the 90 seeds originally 

 planted having failed to germinate. These 86 plants 

 produced 480 pods, of which 201 shrivelled away almost 

 immediately. Six pods, as before stated, form the 

 normal yield in this variety. In the diseased plants, 

 however, taking only the developed pods into the account, 

 the average number was rather less than three and a 

 half. At the same time, as if to falsify all deductions, 

 one plant, the seed of which had been tenanted by three 

 weevils, bore no less than ten mature and two immature 

 pods ; just double the ordinary number. 



Of variety No. 2 (Carter's " Seville Longpod"), I sowed 



