18 



BULLETIN 75, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



same plant gives practically the same results as self-pollination. As 

 the same 12 female parent plants were used in all the experiments, 

 the factor of individual variation is eliminated. 



At Cliico, Cal., in 1909, flowers on different branches of two se- 

 lected alfalfa plants were pollinated, (a) from the same flower, (b) 

 from a different flower on the same plant, (c) from a separate plant 

 of the same variety, and (d) from a different variety. The female 

 parent in one case was a plant of Peruvian alfalfa, S. P. I. No. 3399; 

 in another, ordinary alfalfa, F, C. I. No. 5099; and in the third, 

 Turkestan alfalfa, S. P. I. No. 18751. The results at Chico and also 

 of similar experiments conducted at Arlington farm in 1908 and 

 1909 are given in Table IX. 



Table IX. — Results of the pollination of alfalfa flowers from, different parents. 



Chico, Gal., 1909. 





Male parent. 



Number 

 of flow- 

 ers. 



Number 

 of pods. 



Flowers 

 bearing 

 pods. 



Number of seeds. 



Female parent. 



Total. 



Average 

 per pod. 



3399 



Same flower 



65 

 26 



44 



70 

 76 

 16 

 38 

 47 

 24 

 95 

 28 



43 



68 



■ 112 



50 



16 



17 

 4 



31 



48 

 46 

 8 

 28 

 27 

 11 

 34 

 12 



15 



44 

 5 

 23 



8 



Per cent. 

 26.0 

 15.4 



70.5 



68.5 

 60.5 

 50.0 

 73.7 

 57.5 

 45.8 

 35.7 

 42.9 



34.9 



64.7 

 4.5 







3399 



Another flower on same 

 plant. 



Anothef plant of same va- 

 riety. ■ ' 



19S22, Turkey 







3399 . 







3399 







3399 



12694, Provence 







3.399.. 



do 







3399 



18823, Arabia 







3399 



991, Turkestan 







3399 



18827 Utah 







5099 



5099 









Another flower on same 







plant. 

 5099 Annthftr nlant of same va- 







5099 .' 



18751 



18751 



riety. 

 Grimm 







Same flower.. . . . 









46.0 

 50.0 







rietv. 

 18751 12694.' Provence 

















Arlington Farm, Virginia. 



F.C.I. l,M.sativa. 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



F.C.I.18,M.sativa. 

 Do 



Same flower 



F. C. I. 28, M. sativafKan.). 



F.C.I. 34, Grimm.. 



F. C. I. 2072, M. falcata.. 

 S. P. I. 20571, sand lucerne. 

 F. C. I. 152, Kansas varie- 



S. P. I.' 195.34, M. falcata.. 



Same flower 



F. CI. 2072, M. falcata 



125 



62 



49.6 



108 



14 



9 



64.3 



39 



16 



15 



93.8 



50 



5 



3 



60.00 



17 



38 



27 



71.00 



126 



S 



6 



75.00 



31 



4 



4 



100.00 



16 



267 



172 



64.4 



354 



73 



51 



69.9 



259 



1.7 

 4.3 

 3.3 

 6.6 

 4.7 

 6.1 



4.0 

 2.0 

 5.0 



The results indicate that cross-pollination is usually much more 

 efficient than self-pollination, whether the latter is by the same flower 

 or by another flower of the same j^lant. The efficiency of cross- 

 polhnation is about the same, regardless of whether the pollen- 

 producing parent is the same or a different variety. 



