Abstracts. 297 



can be represented by a curve the apex of which is formed by 

 the abnormal .four-carpelled flowers. 



The frequency of flowers with abnormal gynoecium de- 

 creases as the number of aberrant carpels per pistil increases. 



Associated with the abnormal gynoecia are abnormal peri- 

 gones with a varying number of segments ranging from the 

 normal number 5 as high as 18. The favorable conditions cap- 

 able of transforming the unilateral variation of the gynoecia 

 into a bilateral one, failed to affect the perigone in the same man- 

 ner. The variation in the number of perigone leaves remained 

 unilateral with the frequency of the normal, five-parted peri- 

 gone forming the apex of the skew curve. 



The frequency of the normal, five-parted perigone de- 

 creases as the number of carpels per pistil increases. 



Floral prolifications in the form of various types of synan- 

 thous flowers, often giving rise to syncarpous fruits, were found 

 to be produced generation after generation in fairly constant 

 proportions under given conditions of environment. 



The teratological development of the vegetative organs in 

 the form of more or less developed fasciations was reproduced, 

 under favorable conditions of environment, in 50 per cent of 

 the offspirng. 



All the descendants of the ever-sporting race reproduce the 

 ever-sporting type of the mother plant regardless of whether 

 they originated from normal or abnormal fruits of the parent. 



The ratio between the normal and abnormal flowers was 

 found to be a function of the environment. Under a given set 

 of environmental conditions this ratio as well as the relationship 

 between the different forms of the abnormal flowers inter se is 

 constant to a very marked degree. 



Selection carried on for 5 years had no visible effect upon 

 the type and range of teratological development of this race. 

 The ever-sporting strain after isolation at once displayed the 

 highest degree of abnormality reached in the subsequent gen- 

 erations under similar conditions of environment. 



Under conditions controlling the intensity of abnormal de- 

 velopment, optimum nutrition or starvation, while affecting the 

 habit of the plants, appeared to have no effect upon the degree 

 of manifestation of abnormalities. The evidence from the study 

 of this race tinder different conditions of environment points 



