908 The American Naturalist. [October, 
productive parts of the plants are increased in proportion to 
the vegetative parts, resulting in a greater number of fruits and 
seeds (although individually smaller) and more rapid ripen- 
ing of them, than in similar plants from mature seed. 
In explanation of these changes, and to bring the phenom- 
ena into proper relation with other phenomena of plant and 
animal life, I venture to assert that the deviation in development, 
which comes from the use of unripe seed, does not differ in kind 
from that resulting from any other method of weakening the organ- 
ism, and is to be considered as only a special instance of the 
effect of checking the uniform normal growth of the individual. 
I have in my possession a large amount of data with which 
to substantiate this proposition, but it would be tiresome to 
present it here, and I shall content myself with a bare refer- 
ence to a few facts, and trust to your being able to further con- 
vince yourselves of its correctness by recalling facts from your 
own researches or observations. 
Imperfect seed of any kind germinates poorly and produces 
weak plants. This is true of seed shriveled because of injury 
to the parent plant from insects, fungi, drouth, etc., of seed in- 
fested with fungus, of seed that is too old, or of seed deprived 
of part of its nutriment or otherwise seriously mutilated. That 
weak seedlings from any cause, as a rule, are likely to remain 
weak and produce a poor crop, I think is a statement that will 
be generally accepted without elaboration. It is in reference 
to the third general feature of the deviations due to immature 
seed that the chief interest rests; an interest that has sprung 
up very largely in consequence of the numerous experiments 
by Professor Goff, extending over the last ten years, and now 
very widely known, more especially his long series of experi- 
ments with tomatoes, in which notable results have been ob- 
tained, suggestive of wide economic application, but to which 
I have been able to make but brief reference in this paper.” 
% Goff’s work upon unripe tomato seed and resulting strains is recorded as fol- 
lows: 
Rep. N. Y. Exper. Sta., iii (1884) pp. 224-226; iv (1885), pp. 182-183; v 
(1886), p. 174. 
Bot. Gaz. xii (1887), p. 41-42. 
Garden and Forest, iii (1890), p. 427; (see aliè: pages 355 and 392). Cited by 
Hunn, Bull. N. Y. Exper. Sta. No. 30 (1891), p. 478. 
Rep. Wis. Exper. Sta. viii (1891), pp. 152-159. 
