32 MAINE fSTATE COLLEGE 



color."* I am informed, however, tbat at the present time Mr. 

 Garfield doubts the influence of pollen in causing the variations 

 here noted. 



Professor L. H. Bailey in 1887, performed many crosses with 

 different varieties of apples "and got no effect in any way, not 

 even in season of maturity or in texture. "f Similar results were 

 obtained by Crozier in 1888. More than one thousand crosses 

 were made, and the}' were carefully observed during the season 

 with a view to detecting any immediate effects. "The examination 

 failed to show any differences which could be attributed to the 

 influence of the cross. In several instances different varieties 

 were crossed upon the same tree, but the resulting fruits did not 

 differ materially from each other, or from the remainder of the 

 crop upon the tree."| 



In many species, both wild and cultivated, sports bearing fruit 

 differing from the normal type, are not uncommon. Diojcious 

 plants of this character must necessarily receive pollen from an 

 individual of a different character, but as a rule no effect is 

 observed on the appearance of the fruit of either individual. A 

 single plant of Mitcliella repens, bearing white berries, was dis- 

 covered by Mr. Meehan and removed to his grounds. Thus 

 isolated, it produced no fruit, but in the natural state, and fertilized 

 by pollen from the red-berried form, the white fruit was produced 

 in abundance. Ilex verticillata as a rule has red berries, but a 

 white-berried form on the grounds of Professor Sargent regularly 

 produced white fruit, although necessarily receiving pollen from 

 the red form.§ 



On the other hand, instances are cited to show that there is a 

 marked effect on the color of flowers when two varieties of dif- 

 ferent color are in close proximity. White verbenas, growing by 

 the side of a pink variety are said to have produced striped flowers 

 on the side of the plant next to the pink variety — the other side 

 of the plant retaining the white color. || Similar instances of 

 changed color in case of phlox and petunias have come under my 

 own observation, but in each of these cases the plants were so 

 situated that the change could not be construed as due to the 

 influence of pollen. 



If pollen exerts a modifying influence on the character of 

 the fruit, we should expect the color of black grapes to be less 



* Gard. Month., XVIII, 23, (.Jan., 1S76.) 



t Proc. Am. I'om. Soc, 1SS7, 2-2. 



i Crozier, Bui. 3, Iowa Agr. Expt. Sta., 92. 



§ Gard. Month., XXVII, 116. 



II Berckmans, Am. Agriculturist, July, 1889, 344. 



