194 The Cross Pollmatioii of Flax 



Seed of L. pallescens obtained from Madrid gave an uniform crop of 

 pale blue flowering plants in 1912 when grown at The John Innes 

 Institute at Wimbledon, but the seed saved from that crop and grown 

 at the South-Eastern Agricultural College at Wye during 1913 gave 

 rise to a mixed crop; some few plants bearing white flowers and the 

 others pale blue flowers similar to those of the 1912 crop. The seed 

 saved from the white flowering plants gave in the next year (1914) mostly 

 white flowering plants, accompanied by a few bearing pale blue flowers. 

 The seed saved from the pale blue flowering plants gave in 1914 only 

 pale blue flowering plants. Other instances of change in the colour of 

 flax flowers when grown in the open year after year under ordinary 

 conditions have also been observed, an interesting one being afforded 

 by L. huiiiile, the seed of which was obtained from the Botanical 

 Gardens at Madrid. This gave a mixed crojs when grown in 1912 of 

 dark blue, white and pale blue flowering plants. The seed saved from 

 the dark blue flowering plants gave in 1913 plants bearing dark blue 

 flowers only, and the seed saved from the white flowering plants gave 

 only plants with white flowers in 1913. The seed .saved from the pale 

 blue flowering plants however gave a crop which consisted of pale blue, 

 white and dark blue flowering plants in 1913. When the seed was 

 saved and sown separately in the next year (1914) it was again found 

 that seed from the dark blue flowering plants gave plants carrying dark 

 blue flowers, and seed from the white flowering plants gave plants 

 carrying only white flowers, whereas the seed saved from plants which 

 had pale blue fldwers again gave rise to plants having white, pale blue 

 and dark blue flowers. In 1913 selected plants of L. humile were 

 " covered," and the .seed .sown in 1914 when it was found also that the 

 white came white, the dark blue came dark blue, and, as with the 

 plants that wei-e not " covered," the pale blue flowering plants gave rise 

 to plants bearing dark blue, white and pale blue flowers. 



These observations apj^ear to aftbrd an instance of the segregation 

 of allelomorphic characters, expected when a hybrid is propagated fi'om 

 seed. This is of particular interest in view of the fact that both 

 L. usitatissimum and L. humile very readily self-pollinate, and although 

 not themselves dimorphic possess styles apparently as long as a long 

 styled form in a dimorphic species. 



The flaxes ai-e sometimes regarded as " selfing " so readily that there 

 is small chance of cross-pollination being efl'ective. It seems quite clear 

 however from the foregoing observations that this is not always the 

 case and does not apply to the varieties of L. usltatissunuiit, commonly 



