300 



from the staminate" which are borne on an unbranched peduncle 

 usually varying in number from one to five. " Of these only 

 one, with rare exceptions, sets fruit. It is said that the flowers 

 are sometimes perfect, but such have not come under my notice 

 as yet. The fruit varies in form from oval to a distinctively 

 necked pear shape and in weight from three pounds to ten pounds 

 or even more. The fruit in some varieties is very delicious and 

 has many medicinal properties ascribed to it, so that the plant is 

 of enough value economically aside from its botanical interest to 

 be worthy of careful study. 



"The change of sex in the first tree noted was brought about 

 accidentally. A staminate tree of some age had its terminal bud 

 accidentally injured. The staminate flower clusters produced 

 shortly afterwards contained pistillate flowers in the terminal 

 group. These flowers set and developed good-sized fruits." 



The natives stated that the " removal of the terminal bud in 

 the new of the moon would usually cause this transformation. 

 Other trees growing on the grounds were at once set aside for 

 experimental purposes and the tops were removed at different 

 phases of the moon to disprove the moon's having any effect and 

 also to show, if possible, what were the necessary conditions, if 

 any, outside of the mere removal of the terminal bud. Thus far 

 it is clearly shown that the removal of the terminal bud does 

 cause the change, but also that some other condition is necessary, 

 as only a part of those thus treated have thus far developed any 

 pistillate flowers. The moon's phase does not appear to have 

 any control, though, strange to say, those treated at a fairly defi- 

 nitely recurring period are the ones that show change. It is 

 possible that the plant has definite short cyclic periods of growth 

 and that it is necessary to remove the tip at some definite phase 

 of this cycle in order to produce the development of fertile flowers. 

 If this be true and this cycle should accidentally coincide fairly 

 well with the moon's phases, the belief in moon influence would 

 naturally arise. 



" This view of an approximately monthly periodic cycle of 

 growth has several things to support it. The chief of these is 

 found in continuous development of flowers and fruit. At no 



