4io 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. V, No. io 
PARENT PLANTS 
In 1910 the mean of the averages of all the ripe 5-seeded pods on 11 
plants of the Florida velvet bean (pedigreed line) was 62.9 mm. The 
mean of the average lengths of the 5-seeded pods of 9 plants of the Lyon 
bean (pedigreed line) was 92.7 mm. Some of these Lyon bean plants 
grew in a sandy spot and were stunted; hence the calculated mean is 
probably too low. 
In 1912 the mean of the averages of all the 5-seeded pods of 2 pedi¬ 
greed Florida velvet bean plants was 62.8 mm. and that of 2 pedigreed 
Lyon bean plants was 94.5 mm. These plants were grown on poles and 
were kept free from caterpillars. From 4 more Florida velvet bean and 
42 more Lyon bean plants, of the same families, large samples were 
picked, and all the 5-seeded pods in these samples were measured, but 
in picking such samples the conspicuous best racemes are probably 
picked first, and the averages (63.2 and 95.6), which include these sam¬ 
ples, are probably too high. 
To sum up, the most reliable measurement of the average length of 
the dry 5-seeded pods of the pedigreed line of the Florida velvet bean 
was probably 62.8 mm. and that of the Lyon bean 94.5 mm. 
first generation 
The 5-seeded pods of the 7 first-generation plants were not separately 
measured in 1909, although many pods were measured. The measure¬ 
ments of 883 seeds from all parts of the pod gave an average of 15.5 mm. 
The measurements of 613 seeds of the Lyon bean from all parts of the 
pod gave an average of 15.1 mm. The excess of the first-generation seed 
length over that of the Lyon bean is in part, or wholly, due to the many 
gaps in the seed rows of the semisterile first-generation plants. These 
gaps permit the rounding off of the ends of the seeds, whereas the Lyon 
bean seeds are usually flattened at the ends by mutual pressure. For 
five seeds, the maximum excess of the hybrids over the Lyon bean thus 
is 2 mm. 
In 1911 the six first-generation plants were more or less frosted. Only 
three 5-seeded pods were measured, averaging 98 mm. 
To sum up, the average length of the 5-seeded pods of the first-genera¬ 
tion plants is probably less than 2 mm. above that of the Lyon bean. 
second generation 
In Table V are given the frequency arrays of the average lengths of 
the ripe 5-seeded pods of the plants with white shoots of the second 
generations of the reciprocal crosses. The plants with black shoots 
(three-sixteenths of the whole) are not included, because they usually 
either bore no pods or bore few pods on large plants and so had their 
pod length physiologically increased. A trial showed that when all 
