Hybridization 141 



pollinations, gave one hundred and seventeen failures and 

 one hundred and seventeen successes. These crosses 

 were made in varying weather, from July 28 to August 30. 

 In some periods nearly all the operations would succeed 

 and at other times most of them would fall. I have 

 always regarded these experiments as among my most 

 successful ones, and yet but half of the pollinations 'took.' 

 But one must not understand that I actually secured seeds 

 from even all these one hundred and seventeen fruits, 

 for some of them turned out to be seedless, and some were 

 destroyed by insects before they were ripe, or they were 

 lost by accidental means. A few more than half of the 

 successful pollinations if by success we mean the for- 

 mation and growth of fruit really secured us seeds, 

 or about one-fourth of the whole number of efforts. 



" Twenty pollinations were made between potato flowers, 

 and they all failed ; also, seven pollinations of red peppers, 

 four of husk tomato, two of Nicotiana affinis upon petunia 

 and two of the reciprocal cross, twelve of radish, one of 

 Mirabilis jalapa upon M. longiflora and two of the recip- 

 rocal cross, three Convolvulus major upon C. minor and 

 one of the reciprocal, one muskmelon by squash, two 

 muskmelons by watermelon, and one muskmelon by cu- 

 cumber. 



" This is but one record. Let me give another : 

 " Cucumber, ninety-five efforts: fifty-two successes; 

 forty-three failures. Tomato, forty-three efforts : nine- 

 teen successes; twenty-four failures. Egg-plant, seven 

 efforts : one success ; six failures. Pepper, fifteen efforts : 

 one success; fourteen failures. Husk-tomato, forty-five 

 efforts : forty-five failures. Pepino, twelve efforts : twelve 



