BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS 55 



were never found. Accordingly, the whole question for 

 long remained a puzzle. Happily, however, a thorough 

 investigation has lately been carried out by Dr. von 

 Faber at Buitenzorg (Java), and this investigation 

 solved the question. 



Dr. von Faber has kindly given the present writer a 

 short summary of his results, with permission to in- 

 corporate it here. He writes as follows : 



A B 



FIG. 16. The development of the fruit and the fruit-cushion. 



A, The cluster of blossoms, each flower with its flower-stalk attached to a basal part (b.p), 

 while the flower-stalks are attached to a common axis (b'.p'). 



B, Two young fruits. The basal parts of the fruit-stalks (b.p) develop into new fruit- 

 cushions. The two fruit-stalks are implanted on the old fruit-cushion (B.P.). 



" Though the structure of the flower seems to eliminate the 

 possibility of self-pollination, this is really not so. The long and 

 supple flower-stalk facilitates the swinging to and fro of the hang- 

 ing flower by the wind. Experiments proved that by this 

 movement pollen easily falls from the anthers on the pistil of the 

 same flower, and it could be demonstrated that isolated flowers 

 were easily self-pollinated in this way. Self-pollination may 

 therefore be regarded to be the rule in the cocoa-flower. When, 

 however, neighbouring trees stand close to each other, it is also 



