28 DousLE PoLYANTHUSES AND PRIMROSES FROM SEED. 
number, but these have generally been the result of what may be 
termed chance seedlings appearing in gardens or among plants 
raised from the single forms and sown without any definite purpose 
beyond that of raising single-flowered varieties. Some interesting 
experiments which have come under my own observation may be 
considered worthy of consideration, and these may perhaps induce 
some of the members of our society to begin similar work upon 
the same or other lines. The experiments were made by Mr P. 
Murray Thomson, S.S.C., Edinburgh, the Secretary of the Royal 
Caledonian Horticultural Society. Mr Murray Thomson applied 
the pollen of a double Polyanthus called platypetala plena to-a 
single white Primrose. From the seeds which resulted a number 
of seedlings were produced. When these flowered all were single 
and none were white. These were allowed to seed without any 
attempt to cross-fertilise them artificially, and the result has 
been a number of plants of various colours, some of them white, 
like the original seed bearing progenitor, and a considerable pro- 
portion of double flowers, almost entirely of the Polyanthus or 
bunch-flowered types. | Out of a number of these seedlings sent 
to me for trial I had one good double flowered one of a light 
purple colour. Mr Murray Thomson has, however, some which 
are more double than my one, and of considerable variety of 
colouring. There are whites, pale yellows, pinks, roses, 
magentas, and purples. 
One of the most remarkable things about this experiment has 
been the fact that the first cross gave no double flowers, and that 
it was not until the next generation that the double flowers ap- 
peared. This suggests several considerations in our treatment of 
the interesting study of the heredity of plant characters. 
17th November, 1906. 
Chairman—The PRESIDENT. 
New MemsBers.—Miss Thomson, Langlands Place, Dum- 
fries; Mr W. R. Farish, Amisfield Tower; and Mr J. G. Drum- 
mond, Sandon, Dumfries. 
