Alfalfa seed production. 



17 



Table VIII. — Pods and seeds produced by alfalfa flowers when fertilized by pollen from 

 different sources — Continued. 



B.— When Pollinated fkom Diffekent Flowees on the Same Plant. 





Year. 



Plant 

 No. 



Number 

 of 



flowers. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 pods. 



Flowers 



bearing 



pods. 



Number of seeds. 



Locality. 



_ 



Total. 



Average 

 per pod. 



Chioo, Cal 



1909 

 1909 

 1910 

 1910 

 1910 

 1910 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 



3399 

 5099 

 1 

 3 

 S 

 7 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 

 6 



26 

 28 

 34 

 69 

 66 

 59 

 31 

 23 

 15 

 26 

 28 

 32 



4 

 12 



9 



9 

 33 

 17 



1 

 19 



6 

 14 



8 



2 



Per cent. 

 15.4 

 42.9 

 26.5 

 13.0 

 50.0 

 28.8 



3.2 

 82.6 

 40.0 

 53.8 

 28.5 



6.3 







Do 







Pullman, Wash 



18 

 18 

 90 

 21 





 63 



8 

 13 



7 







2.0 



Do 



2.0 



Do 



2.7 



Do 



1.2 



New London, Ohio 







Do. .. .... 



3.3 



Do 



1.3 



Do 



.9 



Do 



.8 



Do 











Total. 



437 



134 





238 











30.6 



2.02 

















C— When Pollinated fkom Flowers of Different Plants of the Same Variety. 



Chico, Cal 



1909 

 1909 

 1910 

 1910 

 1910 

 1910 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 



3399 

 5099 

 1 

 3 

 5 

 7 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 



6 



44 

 43 

 38 

 54 

 48 

 51 

 34 

 25 

 19 

 20 

 35 

 35 



31 

 15 

 18 

 21 

 24 

 20 

 10 

 18 

 9 

 16 

 14 

 10 



70.5 

 34.9 

 47.4 

 38.8 

 50.0 

 39.6 

 29.4 

 72.0 

 47.3 

 80.0 

 , 40.0 

 '28.5 







Do 







PullmaD , Wash 



39 

 113 

 49 

 58 

 13 

 27 

 14 

 47 

 15 

 7 



2.2 



Do 



5.4 



Do . . . 



2.0 



Do 



2.9 



New London, Ohio 



1.3 



Do 



1.5 



Do . . .. 



1.5 



Do 



2.9 



Do 



1.1 



Do 



.7 







Total 



446 



206 





382 











46.1 



2.38 

















In the first and. second sections of Table VIII the most striking 

 fact is the wide variation of the individual plants in their ability to 

 form seed, when the flower is self-pollinated or pollinated from 

 another flower of the same plant. There is clearly a great difference 

 between individuals in this respect. In the matter of averages, 513 

 self-pollinated, flowers produced 165 pods, or 32.1 per cent, while 

 437 flowers, each pollinated from another flower on the same plant, 

 produced 134 pods, or 30.6 per cent. On the same 12 plants, 446 

 flowers, each cross-poUinated from another plant of the same variety, 

 produced 206 pods, or 46.1 per cent. 



From 114 pods of the self-poUinated flowers 158 seeds were pro- 

 duced, an average of 1.4 seeds per pod; 118 pods from the flowers pol- 

 linated from another flower on the same plant contained 238 seeds, 

 an average of 2.02 seeds per pod; while 160 pods from the cross- 

 pollinated flowers contained 382 seeds, or 2.38 seeds per pod. 



It would appear, therefore, that cross-pollination is more potent 

 than self-pollination, while pollination from another flower on the 



