July 25, 1887. '1 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICOLTORE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



61 



Hrs. Pollock. At pape 275 of tbe last Tolume, Mr. Grieve 

 gUted— " The union of a zoned with a BiWermargined variety 

 wds ascertained to produce progeny having pink or red zones." 

 I understand from this that to such a process of crossing Italia 

 Unita, Argus, and Burning Bush are due. Mr. Grieve further 

 informed us, that it was the reasoning from this analogy that 

 led him to conclude, that by the " union of a zoned variety 

 with a yellow-margined variety," it was reasonable to expect a 

 " progeny having yellow margins, and with zones of more in- 

 tensity of colour." 



Now, this proTos that the adding of another colour to the leaf 

 ol Pelargoniums was foreseen, and that means were adopted 

 for that express purpose. It proves that the colouring matter 

 of the leaf of one variety may be transmitted through the 

 agency of tlio pollen, that once transmitted the abnormal state 

 of the plant is permanent, and that the transmission of the 

 colouring of the leaves to the seedlings to which the plant 

 acted as seed parent becomes hereditary. 



Mr. Pearson, however (page 213, Vol. XI.), shows that the 

 abnormal condition of the seed parent is not transmissible to 

 the seedlings, but that they diverge from the ordinary character 

 o( the seed parent, and partake of the character of the pollen 

 parent. Mr. Pearson states, " My first attempt was to cross 

 Mrs. Pollock with Woodwardiana, saving the seed from the 

 former. The produce were all dark Zonal Pelargoniums," &c. 

 Here we have undeniable testimony, as in Mr. Griovo's case, 

 that the colouring matter of the pollen parent is transmissible 

 to the progeny of the seed parent, but not the abnormal con- 

 dition of the seed parent in addition to that of the pollen 

 parent. It is further stated by Jlr. Pearson, that by crossing 

 the darkest-zoned plants with the best of the tricolored, the 

 result was that tricolored have produced tricolored and green 

 seedlings. The change, then, from a green to a coloured form 

 in the Medling is effoctible and transmissible so as to become 

 hereditary, by employing the pollen of a variegated variety to 

 the stigma of a green-leaved variety. Some of the seedlings 

 will have foliage partaking of the colouring matter of the leaves 

 of the pollen parent. 



But this proves nothing as to the cause of a plant's departure 

 from the normal state, or why it should become variegated, yet 

 I am firmly of opinion that variegation has its origin in the 

 poUcn, and consider it proved that it is of the male or pollen 

 parent, and not of the female or seed parent. It has been 

 proved by the late Mr. Beaton, that in Pelargoniums pollen 

 from short anthers produces pigmies, and the same deduction 

 has been made by Mr. Henry, as regards Rhododendrons (see 

 Vol. I., page .'312, and Vol. II., pages 11 and 42). Moreover, it has 

 been proved by every cross-breeder, that it is no very difficult 

 matter to cross Pelargoniums and Rhododendrons, in whose 

 flowers exist the odd pair of short stamens, to the verge of varie- 

 gation beyond which it is impossible to grow them. We have 

 another evidence of this in the seedlings Mr. Pearson obtained 

 by crossing the tricolor-leaved with the dark zoned, and the 

 reverse ; " those plants which came up with white or nearly 

 white cotyledons all died." 



I have had a similar result with Celery, for noticing a great 

 variation in the progeny resulting from a union of white with 

 red Celery, I was led to pursue the subject further ; as I anti- 

 cipated, the result was a white-foliaged seedling. I submitted 

 it to the criticism of the Editors in the autumn of lHli2. Their 

 reply to my imiuiries as to the probability of perpetuating a 

 variety of Celery having white leaves and stalks, thinking it 

 would bo valuable on account of its requiring no blanching, 

 left me every hope of obtaining the wished-for object, for they 

 replied, Vol. III., page ,)98, as follows : — " This whiteness, 

 which line come naturally without the plant being earthed up, 

 will not, we fear, prove peimanent. You had bettor save seed 

 from it, but the seedlings from that seed we think will come 

 green. If they do not, it will be a valuable addition to our 

 kitohen garden stock." The plant never did seed. It was one 

 of many that came up with white leaHets and red midribs. It 

 was white-foliaged from the cotyledons, and was so throughout, 

 perishing after an abortive attempt at seeding. 



In the same year, struck with the peculiar colouring of the 

 seed of Dwarf Kidney Beans, I strove to attain a knowledge of 

 the peculiarity. I obtained a variety having foliage blotched 

 with white. Elated with my success, for as yet I had not ob- 

 tained any divergence in the progeny of the seed parent from 

 its normal condition, 1 thought I could do almost anything 

 now that a break in this anything-but-easily-crossed family 

 had been e0ected. I had a very weak plant, and stupidly 

 enough extracted all the pollen from a pair of solitary flowers. 



which refused to take where applied. I bad a single white- 

 coloured Bean, which, to all intents and purposes, ought to 

 have been speckled ; this revived my hopes, as I had a con- 

 firmation of the successful break made in a dilhcult family. 

 The consummation of my hopes was a seedling with white coty- 

 ledons, which only lived to show its still more whitened 

 plumule. I had consolation in reading Mr. Henry's concluding 

 sentence of his most excellent and enlightening article at page 

 4;( of Vol. II., where he says of experimentaUsts, "Yet let 

 them not go to far extremes, else failure and vexation will in- 

 evitably be the fruit of their labours." 



It has been stated that seedUngs partake of the character of 

 the pollen parent. It should be taken, and is here intended to 

 mean, that the seedling resulting from a successful union will 

 have, in addition to its marking inherited from the seed parent, 

 some addition to its character imparted to it through the pollen 

 parent ; but it may be a divergence towards the normal form, 

 or partaking of some abnormal character. 



It is asked, Why should variegation be of the pollen? I 

 submit that it is utterly impossible to cause a species to deviate 

 from its normal character without acting on the seed, and con- 

 sequently by pollen, by which process alone the characters of 

 plants become abnormal. It is certain that some other in- 

 fluences will cause a divergence as regards the plant's habit, 

 colour of flowers, or leaves ; but in no instance that I know 

 can the divergence be perpetuated by seed. A plant may be 

 altered by soU, as in the case of the Hydrangea, so as to change 

 the colour of its flowers from pink to blue. Its leaves may be 

 more or less blotched or striped with white or yeUow, through 

 chemical or other agency causing a departure from the plant's 

 normal state ; but such divergences are not capable of being 

 perpetuated by the seed, but by the parts of the subject, either 

 as cuttings, layers, buds, or grafts. The abrasion of a horse's 

 skin may cause the hair upon that part to come white, but it 

 does not follow that the progeny will be piebald. 



The fact is, as it may be read on the page of Nature, if any- 

 thing is to be changed or altered in Nature it must begin 

 with life. That there have been constant changes going on 

 in the vegetable kingdom since the time when plants first 

 sprang into life — a mixture of species and genera — the many 

 divergences in seedlings from what we look upon as normal 

 subjects are in themselves ample testimony. Who can doubt 

 the mixing of kindred species and genera ? and is there not 

 evidence that many so-called species are but so many slight 

 departures from one species intermixed with another ? I think 

 the ease with which some species sport is an instance of this, 

 and of it many species give abundant proof in the variation of 

 their progeny. 



In conclusion, I submit that variegation fixed is of the 

 pollen — 1st, defective or immature ; 2nd, by fertilisation with 

 a plant in which the colouring matter of the leaves is diverse ; 

 Hrd, by the difference of coloration in the pollen. By fertilisation 

 effected between two varieties in which the coloration of the 

 flower is different. By inoculation by the bud, as that of the 

 variegated .Jasmine budded on the common or plain-leaved. 

 Lastly, by the destruction of the organs of secretion and re- 

 spiration, and by the impairment of the organs of nutrition. — 

 G. Abbey. 



AN ANCIENT KOSE TREE. 

 While very old Oaks, Yews, and Chestnuts have each had 

 their memories embalmed in the pages of histoi-y, there is 

 a humbler member of the vegetable kingdom which has not, 

 so far as I know, found a place in English botanical re- 

 cords. I allude to an exceedingly ancient Rose tree at Hilde- 

 sheim, in Hanover, which is still flourishing (as a friend of 

 mine, who has lately seen it, tells me), with all the vigour of 

 youth. This remarkable tree (or rather climber, for it is 

 supported against the wall of a church), was in existence when 

 Christianity itself was little more than a thousand years old ; 

 and, if we may believe tradition, had even then been blooming 

 for well nigh three hundred summers ! But I will give its 

 history in the word of tho well-known botanist, Herr Lennis, 

 himself a resident at Hildesheim. " The oldest known Rose 

 tree in tho world is one at present growing against the wall of 

 the cathedral of this town (Hildesheim), remarkable aUke for 

 its extreme age, and for the scanty nourishment with which it 

 has supported itself for so many centuries. It varies but 

 slightly from the common Dog-rose (R. canina) : the leaves are 

 rather more ovate, the pedicels and lower leaf-surfaces more 

 ' hairy, the fruit smaller and more globular. The stem is 2 inches 



