THE THHEE FOltMS 01' LXTHEVJI SALIL'AKIA. 179 



repeated each of the eighteen unions a score of times ; but the 

 labour would have been too great ; as it was, I made 223 artificial 

 unions ; i. e., I fertilized, on an average, above a dozen flowers in 

 the eighteen dilFerent methods. Each flower was castrated; the 

 adjoining buds had to be removed, that the marking-tliread, wool, 

 &c. might be safely secured ; and after each fertilization the 

 stigma had to be examined with a lens to see that there was suf- 

 ficient pollen. Plants of all three forms were protected during 

 two years by large nets on a framework ; two plants were used 

 during one or both years, in order to avoid any individual pecu- 

 liarity in any one plant. As soon as the flowers withered, the 

 nets ^YCTO removed ; and in the autumn tlie capsules were daily 

 inspected ; when the seeds were ripe they were counted under 

 the microscope. I have given these details that confidence may 

 be placed in the following Tables, and as some eseuse for two 

 blunders which, I believe, I made. These blunders are referred 

 to, with tlieir probable causes, in two notes to the Tables ; the 

 erroneous numbers, however, are entered in tlie Tables, that it 

 may not be supposed that I have in any one instance tampered 

 with the results. 



A few words explanatory of the three Tables must be given. 

 Each is devoted to one form, and is divided into six compartments. 

 The two upper ones in each table give the product of good seed 

 from the application of pollen from the two sets of stamens which 

 correspond in lengtli with the pistil of that form. The two next 

 lower compartments show the result of pollen from the other two 

 sets of stamens, which do not correspond in length with the pistil, 

 and which are borne by the same two forms. The two lowest 

 compartments show the result of the application of each form's 

 own two kinds of pollen. The term "own pollen," used here and 

 in the Tables, does not mean pollen from the flower to be fertilized 

 — for this was never used — but from another flower on the same 

 plant, or more commonly from a distinct plant of the same form. 

 In the result given, " " generally means that no capsule was 

 produced, or that the capsule contained no good seed. In some 

 part of each row of figures in each compartment, a short hori- 

 zontal line mav be seen ; the unions above this line were made in 

 1862, and below it in 1803. It is of importance to observe this, 

 as it shows that the same general result ensued in two successive 

 years ; but more especially because 1863 was a very hot and dry 

 season, and the plants had occasionally to bo watered. This did 

 not prevent the full complement of seed being produced from 



