18G 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[June, 



"■ Early in the Spring of 1877, the writer re- 

 ceived the first review of Darwin's book on 

 ' The effects of cross self-fertilization of plants.' 

 The book seemed to be a ntost instructive pro- 

 duction, one which has not been excelled in 

 importance to the farmer by an^' work in this 

 or in any age. But, in the words of the Gar- 

 deners'' Chronicle^ it is certain that these practical 

 results will be a long time filtering into the 

 minds of those who will eventually profit most 

 by them.' If the results are so valuable, and 

 if it will take a long time to reach the farmers, 

 this 'filtering' process cannot begin too soon, 

 nor be too continuously kept before them. The 

 writer lost no time in trying similar experi- 

 ments on several of our cultivated plants, as 

 apples, onions, Indian cornj and beans. 



'^'^ Experiments with Indian Corn. — Yellow dent 

 corn was obtained from two men in different 

 portions of Michigan. In one case the corn 

 had been kept ten years or more on the same 

 farm, and in the other case fifteen years or 

 more on the same farm. In botli cases the corn 

 was much alike. The two lots of corn were 

 plaiated in alternate rows in a plot by itself. 

 The toi)s of one set of rows were all cutoff", thus 

 securing a perfect cross on those stalks. Seed 

 from this cross was saved and planted to com- 

 pare with corn not so crossed. The yield from 

 the crossed seed exceeded the j-ield of that not 

 crossed as 153 exceeds 100. 



'"'' Crossing Black Wax Beans. — There were, as 

 shown in the plai below, eight short rows two 

 feet apart, with the plants finally thinned on 

 July 10th to five plants about fifteen inches 

 apart in the row. The seed for half the rows 

 (alternating) is called ' old stock,' and was 

 raised in the garden the previous year, from 

 seeds which descended from those raised on the 

 place for nine years or more. 



'* The ' crossed stock' was obtained as follows : 

 In 1877, some seeds of the same variety of beans 

 purchased of Jas. Vick. These were planted 

 in a drill evenly mixed with seeds of the old 

 stock. These grew and looked alike, but tiie 

 flowers were inter-crossed by bees. Seeds of 

 this crop are termed ' crossed stock.' 



" On May 81, 1878, fifteen seeds were planted 

 in each of the eight rows. The plants from the 

 crossed seeds were generally much the largest, 

 and as will be seen kept green the longest. 



In ten days after planting, seeds of tlie old stock came up in 

 tach row as follows :-..-. 477 9=27 



In t«n days the crossed stock came as follows : 12 10 6 11=39 

 In seventeen days the old stock came as follows: 7 11 10 10=38 

 In seventeen days the crossed stock carae as 

 follows: 12 13 10 14=49 



" On July 22, the pods fit for cooking on each 

 plant numbered as follows. The pods on the 

 two lots of ])lants were about alike in size: 



Old stock :j6 1 dead 7 13=57 



Crossed stock - . . . dead 41 0= 41 



Old stock 8 11=19 



Crossed stock - - - - -6 22 34 17= 79 



Old stock ;{0 0=30 



Crossed stock 41 .37 21 31 0= 130 



Old stock 000 2=2 



Crossed stock - - - - - 16 29 30 26 2= 10-3 



Total old stock =108 



Total crossed stock ------ =353 



" This variety is greatly raised for the purpose 

 of suiiplj'ing an early crop of beans to eat pods 

 and all while young. The difference will be 

 seen to be over three to one in favor of the 

 crossed stock. 



"On August 1), the pods fit for cooking or past 

 that condition were as follows: 



Old stock - - - - - 52 60 dead 43 45=200 

 Crossed stock - - - - dead 24 16 51 83= 174 

 Old stock - - - - - 38 46 44 71 37=236 

 Crossed stock - - - - - 35 52 58 69 62= 276 

 Old stock - - - - - 39 34 30 47 87=2.37 

 Crossed stock - - - - - 63 48 11 66 61= 249 



Old stock 38 46 54 33 39=210 



Crossed stock 38 90 52 88 81= 340 



Total old stock =883 



Total crossed sto<-k ^1048 



'•On or before September 10, all were har- 

 vested. The jiods on each plant numbered as 

 follows : 



Old stock - . - - 60 62 dead 45 39 = 206 

 Crossed stock - - - dead 160 54 29 139 = 382 



Old stock - - - - 45 48 36* 71 37 = 237 



Crossed stock - - - . 36 145 91 72 51 = 395 



Old stock - - - - 4.5 .35 37 38 35t= 190 



Crossed stock - - - - 103 68 55 128 75 = 429 



Old stock - - - - 30 39 48 28 40 = 185 



Crossed stock - - - - 136 15'J 58 172 128 = 653 



Total old stock ------ =818 



Total crossed stock ::--1859 



On comparing the table for August 9, with 

 that of September 16, it will be seen that some 

 plants of the old stock had lost part of their 

 fruit. This was on account of the decay of 101 

 pods. The table also shows that two branches 

 were broken and had died before maturing. 

 These contained 73 pods. 



Adding 101 and 78 to 818, we have 992 po<ls of 

 the old, against 1,859 of the crossed. In har- 

 vesting, all those pods badly damaged were 

 rejected. The beans of the old stock weighed 

 29.77 ounces avoirdupois, those of the crossed 

 stock weighed 70.33 ounces avoirdupois, or 

 nearly in the proportion of 100 to 236. 



*Thls plant containetl a dead branch with twenty-one ininia 

 ture pods. 



tThis plant contained a dead Virarich with fifty-two inmiiiture 

 pods. 



