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THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[August, 



Fertile Hybrids. — After the full account of 

 the want of sterihty in hybrids, which appeared in 

 the Independent some months ago, nothing fur- 

 ther is, perhaps, deemed necessary ; and yet it 

 may be useful to place on record any remarkable 

 cases as they arise. It was stated in that account, 

 that among gesneraceous plants, our conserva- 

 tories teemed with cases of fertile hybrids, not only 

 between very distinct species, but also between 

 genera. Another very striking illustration of this 

 has recently been introduced, the work of a Ger- 

 man florist. It is a hybrid between Gesneria 

 Donckelaari, and one of the common greenhouse 

 gloxinias. It will not, for an instant, be contended, 

 that, under the strictest idea of genera, these are 

 not wholly distinct. But the genera have not 

 only been made to unite, but the hybrid produces 

 seeds freely, and seedlings reproduce the hybrid 

 parent exactly. The florists have named it Glox- 

 inia gesneroides ; and the fertile seed is put into 

 the market as a regular item of commerce. | 

 Cases like these present considerations the strongest 

 scientific man may well hesitate to grapple with. 

 First, the idea of genera as something distinct 

 from species becomes confused. The florists have 

 turned the plant into Gloxinia ; but it would be 

 difficult to say just how much is Gloxinia, and how 

 much Gesneria. Second, there is no more reason 

 why a plant of a Gloxinia, in a state of nature, 

 may not get the pollen of a Gesneria through the 

 agency of an insect, or some accident. If the 

 seed get the chance to grow, we have such a hy- 

 brid as this. If the hybrid get the chance to raise 

 its seeds, and the seedlings proved as constant as 

 these have so far proved, we have in nature a very 

 distinct species that did not exist before — a new 

 species originated by hybridization. It is not only 

 not impossible, but highly probable, that such in- 

 stances have occurred, because everything is favor- 

 able for just such a conjunction of circumstances. 

 It is perfectly safe to conclude not only that there 

 is a continual creation of species, but that hybridi- 

 zation is one of the agencies through which the 

 new forms are introduced. — Independent . 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Hybrid Between Rose Geranium .\nd Pelar- 

 GONIU.M. — Mr. Ernest Walker, New Albany, Ind., 

 writes: "In the manuscript of my article "A 

 Hybrid Between the Rose Geranium and Pelar- 

 gonium," page 199 July number Gardeners' 



Monthly, I indicated the cross — Rose Geranium 

 X Zonale Wonderful, and Rose Geranium X 

 Pelargonium Lady Washington, which it seems 

 the printer did not understand, and for fear others 

 may not understand the printer permit me to ex- 

 plain. I meant. Rose Geranium crossed by Zonale 

 Wonderful, Rose Geranium crossed by Pelargonium 

 Lady Washington." 



Self-Fertilization in the Fig.— "F. B.," 

 Stockton, California, writes : " So much is said 

 about the necessity of cross-fertilization in flowers, 

 I wonder how the fig manages, that has no open 

 flowers at all. Surely insects can bring no pollen 

 here." 



But those who argue for the necessity of cross- 

 fertilization do not hold that flowers never fertilize 

 without foreign pollen. They only hold that in 

 some way they have not however explained, cross- 

 fertilization "must be" a benefit. And then they 

 hold that some flowers would never be fertilized 

 at all, but for this extraneous aid, which is true also. 

 It is very difficult for many flowers to receive their 

 own pollen, and it is on this account that some 

 value has been assumed for cross-fertilization. If, 

 as our correspondent has the idea, it really were a 

 belief that plants must have foreign pollen to bear 

 fruit at all, or to be in anyway dependent on insect 

 or other agencies for poUenization, the fig would 

 certainly be a good illustration of the fallacy ; for 

 the male flowers near the apex of the fruit discharge 

 abundance of pollen which, falling on the female 

 flowers at the base, furnish all the pollen they re- 

 quire, and indeed every Cahfornian knows that he 

 has abundance of fruit without insect agency. 

 Centuries ago it was thought that a small fly had an 

 influence on getting a full crop, and they used to 

 bring the flowers of the wild fig in which the insects 

 were numerous to the flowers of the cultivated fig, 

 and called the process caprincation. They found 

 trees that would bear perhaps only twenty-five 

 pounds, would yield perhaps 300 pounds by this 

 care. But this practice had no reference to poUen- 

 ization. 



They thought the figs did not set because the 

 vigor of the tree was unfavorable to fruitfulness, 

 and they thought the puncture of the fly aided 

 fruitfulness by giving vegetative vigor a check; 

 and they were probably right. Gardeners to this 

 day are well aware of this principle. Not only 

 will the puncture of an insect hasten the maturity 

 of a fruit ; but we have to ring, transplant, prune, 

 freeze, or otherwise maltreat an over vigorous 

 plant, to get it to bear at all. 



