10 Harris, Observations on the Physiology of Seed Development in Staphylea. 
Although neither o nor 5 seem to be very dependent upon 
the number of fruits borne 011 the inflorescence, it is conceivable 
that the Proportion of the ovales which develop into seeds may 
show a somewhat more sensible dependence lipon the number of 
fruits among which available plastic material must be divided. To 
determine this point we simply classify the fruits according to the 
number produced on their inflorescence, compute the total number 
of ovules formed and the total number which develop to maturity, 
and calculate the ratio of the number of ovules formed to the 
number of seeds developing. This is the coeflicient of fecundity. 1 ) 
Combining the collections for the three years to avoid the 
extreme irregularity due to low frequencies of the larger in- 
florescences, we have tliese results: 
Number per 
InUorescence 
Total Ovules 
Total Seeds 
Coefficient 
oi Fecundity 
1 
2812G 
3572 
. 1270 
2 
39713 
4371 
. 1101 
3 
46254 
4472 
. 0967 
4 
35848 
3530 
. 0985 
5 
19174 
1776 
. 0926 
6 
10822 
1040 
.0961 
7 
6243 
712 
. 1140 
8 
. 3131 
297 
. 0949 
9 
614 
57 
. 0928 
Tot als 
189923 
19827 
. 1044 
Fruits which occur alone, or with only one other, on an in¬ 
florescence seem to be slightly more fecund than those in con- 
currence with a number of others. 
There is, therefore, a slight relationship between the number 
of fruits per inflorescence and the proportional number of seeds 
developing per locule, and of such a naturc that as the number 
of fruits per inflorescence increases, the relative number of seeds 
developing decreases. Physiologists would probably have predicted 
this, but the intensity of the relationship is lower than would 
generally have beeil expected. 
III. Position of pods inflorescence and fertility and fecundity. 
The position of a fruit on the inflorescence axis might be 
considered of significance in determining the number of seeds which 
reach maturity. 
Data for the correlation between the position of, the pod on 
the inflorescence and the number of seeds developing per locule 
x ) See Biometrika. Vdl. VII. 1910. p. 309—310. 
