346 MendePs Experiments 



^plants, as it likewise occurs in the parental variety. This 

 peculiarity [bleaching] is also confined to the individual and 

 is not inherited by the offspring. In luxuriant plants this 

 appearance was frequently noted. Seeds which are damaged 

 by insects during their development often vary in colour and 

 form, but, with a little practice in sorting, errors are easily 

 avoided. It is almost superfluous to mention that the pods 

 must remain on the plants until they are thoroughly ripened 

 and have become dried, since it is only then that the shape 

 and colour of the seed are fully developed. 



Expt. 3. Colour of the seed-coats. — Among 929 plants 

 705 bore violet-red flowers and grey-brown seed-coats; 224 

 had white flowers and white seed-coats, giving the propor- 

 tion 3*15 to I. 



Expt. 4. Form of pods. — Of 1,181 plants 882 had 

 them simply inflated, and in 299 they were constricted. 

 Resulting ratio, 2*95 to i. . 



Expt. 5. Colour of the unripe pods. — The number of 

 trial plants was 580, of which 428 .had green pods and 

 152 yellow ones. Consequently these stand in the ratio 

 2*82 to I. 



Expt. 6. Position of flowers. — Among 858 cases 651 

 had inflorescences axial and 207 terminal. Ratio, 3*14 to i. 



Expt. 7. Length of stem. — Out of 1,064 plants, in 787 

 cases the stem was long, and in 277 short. Hence a mutual 

 ratio of 2*84 to i. In this experiment the dwarfed plants 

 were carefully lifted and transferred to a special bed. This 

 precaution was necessary, as otherwise they would have 

 perished through being overgrown by their tall relatives. 

 Even in their quite young state they can be easily picked 

 out by their compact growth and thick dark-green foliage"^. 



If now the results of the whole of the experiments be 

 brought together, there is found, as between the number 

 of forms with the dominant and recessive characters, an 

 average ratio of 2*98 to i, or 3 to i. 



* [This is true also of the dwarf or "Cupid " Sweet Peas.] 



