18591863] BOTANICAL EXPERIMENTS 2IQ 



some [plants]. On the same principle it would be well to test Letter 150 

 peloric flowers with their own pollen, and with pollen of regular 

 flowers, and try pollen of peloric on regular flowers seeds 

 being counted in each case. I have now got one seedling 

 from many crosses of a peloric Pelargonium by peloric pollen ; 

 I have two or three seedlings from a peloric flower by pollen 

 of regular flower. I have ordered a peloric Antirrhinum* and 

 the peloric Gloxinia, but I much fear I shall never have time 

 to try them. The Passiflora cases are truly wonderful, like 

 the Crinum cases (see Origin)? I have read in a German 

 paper that some varieties of potatoes (name not given) cannot 

 be fertilised by [their] own pollen, but can by pollen of other 

 varieties : well worth trying. Again, fertility of any monster 

 flower, which is pretty regularly produced ; I have got the 

 wonderful Begonia frigida 3 from Kew, but doubt whether I 

 have heat to set its seeds. If an unmodified Celosia could be 

 got, it would be well to test with the modified cockscomb. 

 There is a variation of columbine \Aquilegid\ with simple 

 petals without nectaries, etc., etc. I never could think what 

 to try ; but if one could get hold of a long-cultivated plant 

 which crossed with a distinct species and yielded a very small 

 number of seeds, then it would be highly good to test com- 

 paratively the wild parent- form and its varying offspring with 

 this third species : for instance, if a polyanthus would cross 

 with some species of Primula, then to try a wild cowslip with 

 it. 1 believe hardly any primulas have ever been crossed. If 

 we knew and could get the parent of the carnation, 4 it would 

 be very good for this end. Any member of the Lythracese 

 raised from seed ought to be well looked after for dimorphism. 

 I have wonderful facts, the result of experiment, on Lythnim 

 salicaria. 



To John Scott. Letter '5' 



Down, Dec. nth [1862]. 



I have read your paper 5 with much interest. You ask for 

 remarks on the matter, which is alone really important. Shall 



1 See Variation of Animals and Plants, Ed. I., Vol. II., p. 70. 



2 Origin, Ed. VI., p. 238. 



3 The species on which Sir J. D. Hooker wrote in the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, Feb. 25th, 1860. See Life and Letters, II., p. 275. 



1 Dianthus caryophyllus, garden variety. 



5 " On the Nature and Peculiarities of the Fern-spore." Bot. Soc. 

 Edin. Read June I2th, 1862. 



