EFFECTS OF SELECTION" ON" ALKALOIDS IN BELLADONNA. 



15 



Table VI. — Alkaloids in the leaves of second-generation belladonna plants from cross- 

 pollinated parents at two stages of grotvth at Arlington, Va., and Madison, Wis., in 

 1914 — Continued. 



Summary of Averages for Each Lot, Including Results at Timmonsville, S. C. 





Allcaloidal content (per cent). 



Lot. 



Arlington, \ 



a. 



Madison, W 



is. 



Timmonsville, S. C. 





First 



stage, 



Aug- 18. 



Second 



stage, 

 Sept. 12. 



Average. 



First 

 stage, 

 Aug. 4. 



Second 

 stage, 

 Sept. 5. 



Average. 



First 

 stage. 



Average. 





0.656 

 .611 



.608 



0.600 

 .543 

 .524 





0.783 

 .800 

 .729 



0.777 

 .829 

 .745 





0.992 

 .906 

 .849 





























Average 



.625 



.556 



0.592 



.771 



.784 



0.778 



.916 



0.916 





.602 

 .429 

 .483 



.584 

 .407 

 .471 



.593 



.524 

 .822 

 .674 



.532 

 .840 

 .814 



.528 



.950 



.950 



Lot2 2 





Lot2 3 







.771 













Average 



.456 



.436 



.446 



.748 



.827 



.788 



.771 



.771 



Lot 34« 



.538 

 .645 

 .496 

 .479 



.384 

 .554 

 .414 

 .421 





.673 

 .696 

 .530 

 .514 



.661 

 .821 

 .660 

 .569 





.801 

 .852 

 .663 

 .705 





Lot34 3 









Lot34 4 









Lot 34a 

















Average 



.539 



.443 



.491 



.603 



.678 



.642 



.755 



.755 



Lot3i 



.496 



.386 





.524 

 .476 

 .602 



.627 

 .536 



.722 





.702 

 .532 

 .669 





Lot3 6 









Lot3 7 



.446 



.421 

















Average 



.471 



.402 



.437 



.534 



.628 



.581 



.634 



.634 



A study of Table VI will reveal the fact that the plants showed 

 marked differences in the percentage of alkaloids produced at the 

 different stations. Thus, the general season average of all the plants 

 at Arlington was 0.512 per cent, at Madison 0.663 per cent, and at 

 Timmonsville 0.804 per cent. At the last-mentioned station, how- 

 ever, only one picking was made, which may account in some measure 

 for the unusually high percentage of alkaloids found. At Arlington 

 the first picking assayed considerably higher than the second, while 

 at Madison the second picking was richer. It should be remembered, 

 however, in this comiection, that the season at Madison is somewhat 

 later than at Arlington. Previous experiments have shown that the 

 plants are richest in alkaloids when the flowering period is over and 

 the berries are beginning to ripen. At this stage the leaves are small 

 but very rich in alkaloids. At Arlington the first picking was made 

 August 18, when the plants were in the stage just described, and the 

 second picking was made later in the season, when the new growth 

 had reduced the percentage of alkaloids considerably. At Madison, 

 on the other hand, tin; first picking was made August 4, before the 



