AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



55 



theory and certain facts have come within my own observation 

 which point to the possibihty of several seeds in the same ovary 

 being tlie product of different male parentage. 



Grieve, in 1874,* individually pollinated several blossoms on 

 some plants of Pelargonium peltatum. One of these plants was 

 on the day following given pollen of Pelargonium zonale. The 

 offspring of the first plant were all true Pelargonium pelatum; 

 while of the offspring of the second, no two were alike, the leaves 

 of some being large and of others small ; some showed a well de- 

 veloped zone, while others were without any indications of this 

 character. 



Fig. 16. Summer Crookneck X Mammoth Tours Pumpkin. 



Charles Arnold, in crossing corn, used pollen from both a yel- 

 low and a white variety, on pistils of a dark purple sort. The 

 resultant grains were yellow at the base and white at the top ; 

 while those of another ear on the same stalk, being individually 

 pollinated, were of normal color. f This instance established in 

 the mind of Mr. Arnold the fact of the possibilit}'^ of superfoeta- 

 tion, and was used by Thomas Meehanj as the basis for an 

 argument in support of the theory of the immediate influence of 

 foreign pollen as well as of the theory of superfoetation. So far 

 as I am aware, similar results have not since been obtained. 



In applying small amounts of pollen to the stigmas of tomatoes, 

 I have observed that the portion of the stigma receiving pollen 

 soon turned brown and withered while the other side remained 

 green and in an apparently receptive condition for some time. 

 This fact was specially apparent in the fruit shown in Figure 12. 

 As seeds develop only on the side receiving pollen, it seems prob- 

 able that seeds on the other side of the ovary might well be fer- 

 tilized by pollen of a different variety or species. This point is 

 now receiving special attention. 



*Gai-d. Chron Vol. IT, (K. S.), 689. 

 fGard. Month. XV, 104. 

 jProc. PMl. Acad. Sci. 1S73, 16. 



