168 



the 2,128 pods examined to determine the number of seeds 

 developing (Table IV.) one notes a skewness of distribution 

 similar to that in Staphylea. 





Table IV 





Seeds per Pod 



Number of Pods 



Seeds per Pod 



Number ot Pods 



I 

 2 

 3 



1.423 

 560 

 116 



4 

 5 



25 



4 



Now it seems of interest to determine whether (in fruits which 

 produce on an average so few seeds and among which those 

 producing several are very rare) the weight of the individual 

 seeds is in any degree dependent upon the number formed in 

 the fruit. 



The seeds of Staphylea are particularly suited to work of this 

 kind. They are hard, smooth and clean; seeds which have an 

 imperfect development — so far as can be ascertained by external 

 examination — are exceedingly rare. Cladrastis seeds are not so 

 suitable for weighing. Here as in many Leguminosae ovules 

 which have failed to mature completely are sometimes found. 

 All apparently blighted seeds were picked out before the weigh- 

 ings were made and we are consequently dealing with a sample 

 of apparently sound seeds. The discarding of these should not 



vitiate the results. 



Table V 



Total Seeds 

 per Fruit 



Number of 

 Seeds Weighed 



Mean Weight 



Total Seeds 

 per Fruit 



Number of 

 Seeds Weighed 



Mean Weight 



I 

 2 



3 



4 



ISO 

 ISO 

 150 

 ISO 



.05978 

 .05988 

 .05662 

 •053S3 



s 



6 



7 

 8 



150 



ISO 



100 



SO 



.05265 

 •0SI4S 

 •05377 

 .04680 



Table V. shows the average weight of seeds of Staphylea from 

 pods with different numbers of seeds per pod. The material is 

 that of the fall of 1905. The results here seem to show very 

 clearly that the difference between the weight of seeds produced 

 in pods maturing one and two seeds is not very great, but when 

 more than this number are developed the weight of the seed 

 materially decreases. 



