FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 453 



some cases, also, he places two lots of plants in crowded masses iu the same 

 pot or box. In the third generation of Petunia violacea, "both lots grew 

 extremely crowded; the crossed were twice as tall as the self-fertilized." 

 Other examples of a similar nature are given in the book. Mr. Darwin, iu 

 volume IT. of his Animals and Plants under Domestication, says : "It is impor- 

 tant that the two lots struggle with each other, for if sown with plenty of room 

 and good soil, there is often but little difference in their growth." In other 

 Avords, the self-fertilized are more easily overcome by surrounding obstacles. 

 Like pampered animals, they cannot endure great hardships. In cultivating 

 l^lants on the farm and garden, in many cases they are grown so close as to 

 crowd each other. If so, seeds of crossed plants are generally the best, and 

 most profitable to sow. 



EARLY MATURITY GAINED. 



I have said that plants crossed with a foreign stock were, in a great majority 

 of cases later, larger, heavier, more vigorous, or better able to endure crowding 

 by other plants. They also endure inclement weather better. In another re- 

 spect Mr. Darwin has shown their superiority. In 50 cases the "period of 

 flowering of the crossed and self-fertilized plants was recorded. In 44 of them 

 a crossed plant flowered first either in a majority of the pots or in all ; in nine 

 instances a self-fertized plant flowered first, and in five the two lots flowered 

 simultaneously. One of the most striking cases is that of Cyclamen, in which 

 the crossed plants flowered some weeks before the self-fertilized in all four pots 

 during the two seasons." In some cases, as with Lupinus luteus and Clarkia 

 elegans, the crossed and the self -fertilized plants in height were to each other 

 as 100 to 83, yet Clarkia flowered first. Numerous experiments showed that 

 the crossing of one flower with that of another on the same plant, seldom if 

 ever does any good. 



EFFECT ON" GERMINATION. 



In twenty-one cases a record was kept of the relative period of germination 

 of crossed and self-fertilized seeds. In one case the seeds germinated simul- 

 taneously: in ten cases the self-fertilized seeds germinated before the crossed, 

 and in the other ten the crossed seeds germinated first. After knowing the 

 great advantage to be derived from cross-fertilization, we are prepared to un- 

 derstand that honey is placed in flowers as wages to pay insects for serving the 

 plants. The gay colors and odors are advertisements to call the attention of 

 insects to the rich supplies of food in store for them. Saunders, of Canada, 

 cut off the petals of raspberries, and by so doing made it difiicult or impossible 

 for the bees to find honey. "Almost every fruit which is devoured by birds 

 presents a strong contrast in color with the green foliage, in order that it may 

 be seen and its seeds freely disseminated." 



A PRACTICAL SUGGESTION. 



The seeds from a plant are benefited by the flowers having been fertilized by 

 ])ollen of another plant which had been subjected to quite different conditions. 

 This is brought about in many instances in the same spot where seeds have 

 lain covered or dormant for some years, and then are turned up or placed in 

 favorable condition to grow and mix witli j^lants from seed ])roduced in later 

 years. Seeds are no doubt influenced by being kept for a long time. " Those 

 which were matured during different seasons, will have been subjected during 

 the whole course of tiieir development to different degrees of heat and mois- 



