30 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



"At the very outset special attention was devoted to the Legu- 

 minosae on account of their peculiar floral structure. Experi- 

 ments which were made v/ith several members of this family led to 

 the result that the genus Pisuni was found to possess the necessary 

 qualifications. 



"Some thoroughly distinct forms of this genus possess char- 

 acters which are constant, and easily and certainly recognizable, 

 and when their hybrids are mutually crossed they yield perfectly 

 fertile progeny. Furthermore, a disturbance through foreign pol- 

 len cannot easily occur, since the fertilizing organs are closely 

 packed inside the keel and the anther bursts within the bud, so that 

 the stigma becomes covered with pollen even before the flower 

 opens. This circumstance is of especial importance. As additional 

 advantages worth mentioning, there may be cited the easy culture 

 of these plants in the open ground and in pots, and also their rela- 

 tively short period of growth. Artificial fertilization is certainly 

 a somewhat elaborate process, but nearly always succeeds. For 

 this purpose the bud is opened before it is perfectly developed, the 

 keel is removed, and each stamen carefully extracted by means of 

 forceps, after which the stigma can at once be dusted over the 

 foreign pollen." 



In short we may say that Mendel's experiments were con- 

 ducted under conditions which allowed exact knowledge of the 

 experiments and of the material with which he worked. Since 

 the peas were self-pollinating, he had really a pedigreed stock 

 and by producing artificial fertilization he allowed only these seeds 

 to come to maturity over which he had definite control. Thus his 

 method was rigorously scientific, his experiments planned for a 

 clearly recognized purpose, and continued persistently over a period 

 of years. Surely such procedures as these do not constitute scien- 

 tific accidents, but belong only to experimentation of the highest 

 order. 



"During his period of scientific work Mendel, as we now 

 know, was engaged on a great variety of cognate researches. In 

 his letters to Nageli there are allusions to some of these sub- 

 jects, but imhappily few statements of results. His largest under- 

 taking besides the work on Pisiim was an investigation of the 

 heredity of bees. He had 500 hives under observation. He col- 

 lected queens of all attainable races, European, Egyptian, and 

 American, and effected numerous crosses between these races, 

 though it is known that he had many failures. Attempts were made 

 to induce the queens to mate in his room, which he netted in with 

 gauze for the purpose, but it was too small or too dark, and these 



