Chap. XYII. SELF-IMPOTENT PLANTS. 121 



South Wales/'' asserts that Amaryllis helladonna bears many more 

 seeds when fertilised by the pollen of Brunsivigia {Amaryllis of some 

 authors) jos'phince or of B. muUijlora, than when fertilised by its 

 own pollen. Mr. Beaton dusted four flowers of a Cyrtanthus with 

 their own pollen, and four with the pollen of Vnllota (Amaryllis) 

 purpurea; on the seventh day "those which received their own 

 " pollen slackened their growth, and ultimately perished ; those 

 " which were crossed with the Yallota held on."**^ "These latter cases, 

 however, relate to uncrossed species, like those before given with 

 respect to Passiflora, Orchids, &c., and are here referred to only 

 because the plants belong to the same group of Amaryllidacese. 



In the experiments on the hybrid Hippeastrums, if Herbert had 

 found that the pollen of two or three kinds alone had been more 

 eflficient on certain kinds than their own pollen, it might have been 

 argued that these, from their mixed parentage, had a closer mutual 

 affinity than the others ; but this explanation is inadmissible, for 

 the^ trials were made reciprocally backwards and forwards on nine 

 different hybrids ; and a cross, whichever way taken, always proved 

 highly beneficial. I can add a striking and analogous case from 

 experiments made by the Eev. A. Eawson, of Bromley Common, 

 with some complex hybrids of Gladiolus. This skilful horticul- 

 turist possessed a number of French varieties, differing from each 

 other only in the colour and size of the flowers, all descended from 

 Gandavensis, a well-known old hybrid, said to be descended from 

 G. nafalensis by the pollen of G. o2->2-)ositiflorns.^^ Mr. Eawson, after 

 repeated trials, found that none of the varieties would set seed with 

 their own pollen, although taken from distinct plants of the same 

 variety (which had, of course, been propagated by bulbs), but that 

 they all seeded freely with pollen from any other variety. To give 

 two examples : Ophir did not produce a capsule with its own pollen, 

 but when fertilised with that of Janire, Brenchleyensis, Yulcain 

 and Linne, it produced ten fine capsules ; but the pollen of Ophir 

 was good, for when Linne was fertilised by it seven capsules were 

 produced. This latter variety, on the other hand, was utterly 

 barren with its own pollen, which we have seen was perfectly 

 efficient on Ophir. Altogether, Mr. Eawson, in the year 1861, 

 fertihsed twenty-six flowers borne by four varieties with pollen 

 taken from other varieties, and every single flower produced a fine 

 seed-capsule ; whereas fifty-two flowers on the same plants, fertilised 

 at the same time with their own pollen, did not yield a single seed- 

 capsule. Mr. Eawson fertilised, in some cases, the alternate flowers, 



*^ ' Gardener*s Chronicle,' 1850, p. Hort.,' 18G1, p. 453. Lecoq, ho^t-ever 



470. (' De la Fecond.,' 1862, p. 369), states 



*^ ' Journal Hort. Soc.,* vol. v. p. that this hybrid is descended from 



135. The seedlings thus raised were G. psittacinus&XiA cardinalis ; but this 



given to the Hort. Soc. ; but I rind, on is opposed to Herbert's experience, 



inquiry, that they unfortunately died who found that the former speciei 



the following winter. could not be crossed. 



*^ Mr. D. Beaton, in ' Journal of 



