116 Plant-Breeding 



eration was raised from seeds of known parentage, 

 the flowers from which they came having been carefully 

 pollinated by hand. In some instances the second genera- 

 tions were grown from hand-crossed seeds, but in other 

 cases the second generations were grown from seeds simply 

 selected from the first-year patches. As the experiments 

 have been made in the field and upon a somewhat exten- 

 sive scale, it was not possible accurately to measure the 

 plants and the fruits from individuals in all cases ; but the 

 results have been so marked as to admit of no doubt as 

 to their character. In 1889, several hand-crosses were 

 made among egg-plants. The fruits matured, and the 

 seeds from them were grown in 1890. Some two hundred 

 plants were grown, and they were characterized through- 

 out the season by great sturdiness and vigor of growth. 

 They grew more erect and taller than other plants near by 

 grown from commercial seeds. It was impossible to deter- 

 mine productiveness, from the fact that the seasons were 

 too short for egg-plants, and only the earliest flowers, in 

 the large varieties, perfect their fruit, and the plant blooms 

 continuously through the season. In order to determine 

 how much a plant will bear, it must be grown until it 

 ceases to bloom. When frost came, little difference could 

 be seen in productiveness between these crossed plants 

 and commercial plants. A dozen fruits were selected from 

 various parts of the patch, and in 1891 about twenty-five 

 hundred plants were grown from them. Again the plants 

 were remarkably robust and healthy, with fine foliage, 

 and they grew erect and tall, an indication of vigor. 

 They were also very productive; but, as the cross had 

 been made between unlike varieties, and the offspring 



