ON THE SUNBERRY 



ultimately as the result of a single successful ex- 

 periment — ^was by no means a task to be accom- 

 plished off hand by the first person who chose to 

 place pollen of one flower on the pistil of the other. 

 I did this season after season, seemingly with no 

 effect whatever. 



At last, however, in the season of 1905, after I 

 had more than once half decided to relinquish 

 the effort to hybridize these plants, my persever- 

 ance was rewarded. 



I had cross-poUenized the great African 

 stubble-berry, Solanum guinense, and the little 

 downy nightshade, Solanum villosum, as I had 

 done many times before, with no change or added 

 detail of method, and for the moment I had no 

 reason to suppose that the efforts had been more 

 successful than before. 



But when the seeds were sprouted in the green- 

 house, a certain number of plants were discovered 

 that differed from any I had seen before. 



These plants were of a new type, and as they 

 developed it became increasingly clear that they 

 represented almost an exact compromise between 

 the two parent species. 



There could be no question that they were the 

 hybrids I was seeking. 



But the appearance of these hybrids was such 

 as to corroborate the belief, founded on my long 



[119] 



