294 POMOLOGY 



says, "No influence of the male pollen of any variety can 

 be detected on size, color, shape and quality of the female 

 parent." 



Alderman,'^ on the other hand, shows a decided benefit 

 from cross-pollination of the apple over blossoms which were 

 "selfed" or crossed with pollen from a tree of the same va- 

 riety. A summary of his results in weight of fruit as affected 

 by pollination is here given: 



Rome Beauty cross Gain over selfed 27 . 8 per cent 



York Imperial cross Gain over selfed 42 . 7 per cent 



Likewise, Lewis and Vincent found an improvement in 

 size of the apple from cross-fertilization. 



These latter observations are in line with the original in- 

 vestigations of Waite. He observed, among other things, 

 that the self-fertilized Bartlett pears which he secured 

 weighed on an average 100.4 grams, while the cross-fertil- 

 ized pears averaged 145.2 grams each. 



263. Effect of seed-bearing on the fruit. — It is a fact of 

 considerable interest that there is commonly a correlation 

 between the weight of seed and that of fruit. This of course 

 loses force in the case of parthenocarpic fruits, since prac- 

 tically no seeds are developed. Not only is there a correla- 

 tion in regard to size but also it is not uncommon to find a 

 lack of full development in a portion of an apple or pear 

 where no seeds have matured within the adhering carpel or 

 carpels, thus giving somewhat one-sided fruits. This phe- 

 nomenon is of wide application and may often be seen, for 

 example, on examining a bean pod in which one or more 

 ovules did not develop, resulting in a hardened constricture 

 or other evidence of lack of development of the parts im- 

 mediately surrounding the abortive ovules. In such cases, 

 there is a lack of stimulation of the surrounding parts and, 

 1 Proc. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 14th Rept. 1917. pp. 94-101. 



