83 
the ripening and maturing of this growth. It is as if the framework 
were pushed forward with the greatest possible rapidity, while the 
strengthening and finishing followed at a more leisurely pace. It is 
easy to see why the species which first complete this stage of growth 
should produce the hardest and strongest tissue, while those which 
go on pushing out their shoots indefinitely are more or less damaged 
by the winter weather. 
Mass. Exper. Station, Amherst. Winthrop E. Stone. 
Verbascum LychnitiS.— Somebody, I cannot remember where 
or when, put it into my mind that Verbascum Lychnitis was "prob- 
ably a hybrid " between Verbascum Thapsus and F. Blaitaria, The 
plant has been known in the old world for ages, and, if a hybrid, it 
would be interesting to know that it has taken rank as a species, and 
been able to hold its own so long all over the world. So many state- 
ments have been started as actual facts that were introduced only as 
probabilities that I generally feel it does no harm to go over with an 
examination again whenever opportunities offer. I cannot find any- 
where in print that a hybrid origin has been ascribed to this species 
(but it has been on my mind from some authority), and as the plant 
and its supposed two parents are all common hereabouts it has 
long been my desire to test what hybridization would result in. Now 
It is on record that V. Lychnitis^ though it may not be in itself a 
hybrid, takes liberties with other species. Dr. Gray, in the Manual, 
5t_h edition, says " hybridizes spontaneously with the common mul- 
lein.'* The Doctor does not say whether this is or not his own ex- 
perience, but probably founds his statement on a paragraph in Willde- 
'^ow's Species Plantarum, which notes that a plant which was thought 
worthy of being made a species, V, thapsifor7ne, appeared in a bed of 
Lychnitis plants in the Upsal Garden, in 1761, and the female parent 
was supposed to be V, Lychnitis^ and the male parent K Ihapsus, 
Similar other specimens had, however, been sent by Bauhin and 
others. But by what we now know of natural variations and sports, 
fhis will not be regarded as decisive evidence of spontaneous hybrid- 
ization. The three kinds grow freely together here, but I never saw 
any tendency to produce the form that appeared in the Upsal Gar- 
den, The spontaneity is certainly not active in this district. 
I commenced testing the hybrid origin of V, Lychnitis years ago. 
It takes several years to get the results of work of this kind, so it is 
important to be sure of our facts as we go along. I chose V. Blat- 
tana for the female parent. As soon as the flowers opened the 
anthers were immediately cut off and the pollen of V, Thapsus \vz.% ap- 
plied. Some flowers emasculated had no pollen applied to their stig- 
mas. These seeded as well as did those to which pollen was applied. 
I was therefore fearful of some interference by bees, and, not wishing 
to pin my faith on two or three years of watching, the seeds were not 
sown. Next year all the flowers on the spike that were not needed were 
cut off, so as not to tempt the bees; but still the ones to which I applied 
^o pollen fruited as well as the others did. These seeds were 
?gain not sown. I was led to suspect that the flowers were fertilized 
*^ the bud, and that, notwithstanding the reputation the plant had 
