130 



ON THE DIEECT ACTION OF THE 



Chaf. XI. 



purple-flowered plants like their father; whilst the pale brown 

 seeds yielded normal red-flowered plants; and Major Clarke, by- 

 sowing similar seeds, has observed on a greater scale the same 

 result. The evidence in this case of the direct action of the pollen 

 of one species on the colour of the seeds of another species appears 

 to me conclusive. 



Gallesio 132 fertilised the flowers of an orange with pollen from the 

 lemon; and one fruit thus produced bore a longitudinal stripe of 

 peel having the colour, flavour, and other characters of the lemon. 

 Mr. Anderson 133 fertilised a green-fleshed melon with pollen from a 

 scarlet-fleshed kind ; in two of the fruits " a sensible change was 

 perceptible : and four other fruits were somewhat altered both 

 internally and externally." The seeds of the two first-mentioned 

 fruits produced plants partaking of the good properties of both 

 parents. In the United States, where Cucurbitacese are largely 

 cultivated, it is the popular belief 131 that the fruit is thus directly 

 affected by foreign pollen ; and I have received a similar statement 

 with respect to the cucumber in England. It is believed that 

 grapes have been thus affected in colour, size, and shape : in France 

 a pale-coloured grape had its juice tinted by the pollen of the dark- 

 coloured Teinturier ; in Germany a variety bore berries which were 

 affected by the pollen of two adjoining kinds ; some of the berries 

 being only partially affected or mottled. 135 



As long ago as 1751 J06 it was observed that, when differently- 

 coloured varieties of maize grew near each other, they mutually 

 affected each other's seeds, and this is now a popular belief in the 

 United States. Dr. Savi 137 tried the experiment with care : he 

 sowed yellow and black-seeded maize together, and on the same ear 

 some of the seeds were yellow, some black, and some mottled, the 

 differently coloured seeds being arranged irregularly or in rows. 

 Prof. Hildebrand has repeated the experiment 138 with the precaution 

 of ascertaining that the mother-plant was true. A kind bearing 

 yellow grains was fertilised with pollen of a kind having brown 

 grains, and two ears produced yellow grains mingled with others of 

 a dirty violet tint. A third ear had only yellow grains, but one side 

 of the spindle was tinted of a reddish-brown ; so that here we have 

 the important fact of the influence of the foreign pollen extending 



132 < Traite du Citrus,' p. 40 



133 i Transact. Hort. Soc.,' vol. iii. 

 p. 318. See also vol. v. p. 65. 



134 Prof. Asa Gray, ' Proc. Acad. 

 Sc.,' Boston, vol. iv., 1860, p. 21. I 

 have received statements to the same 

 effect from other persons in the United 

 States. 



lS5 For the French case, see l Journ. 

 Hort. Soc.,' vol. i. new series, 1866, p. 

 50. For Germany, see M. Jack, 



quoted in Henfrey's 'Botanical 

 Gazette,' vol. i. p. 277. A case in 

 England has recently been alluded to 

 by the Rev. J. M. Berkeley before the 

 Hort. Soc. of London. 



136 i Philosophical Transactions,' 

 vol. xlvii., 1751-52, p. 206. 



137 Gallesio, 'Teoria della Riprodu- 

 zione ' 1816, p. 95. 



138 <Bot. Zeitung,' May, 1868, p. 

 326. 



