Francis: Double Seeding Petunias 



459 



DOUBLE FORM OF HYBRID PETUNIA 



This was used as male parent in Mrs. Francis' crosses. The first double 

 petunia appeared in 1855, and since then they have been steadily 

 produced, but as the doubles produced pollen but could not set 

 seed, it was necessary to create them by a new cross each year, 

 since they could not reproduce themselves. Doubles had to be 

 crossed on singles, the latter then bearing seed which produced a 

 small proportion of double flowers. Mrs. Francis undertook to 

 produce a strain of doubles that would not have to be crossed on 

 singles this way each year, but would be capable of bearing seed. 

 For this purpose she crossed the above hybrid form with the giant- 

 flowering form shown in Figure 6. The result has been successful: 

 not all the double flowers produce seeds, but enough of them do to 

 make the culture commercially profitable. (Fig. 7.) 



knowledge been greater in the beginning. 

 During the last five years I have bred 

 four distinct strains of double seeding 

 petunias, steadily increasing doubleness, 

 lengthing the stems, and giving greater 

 delicacy to the texture and colors. In 

 all my work those qualities have had 

 precedence over reproductiveness. 



Many interesting and curious varia- 

 tions have been observed, in one of 

 which the whole flower becomes petal- 

 ous. Some of the finest flowers are 

 pistillate, reversing the old form, others 

 have anthers containing no pollen, 

 while some almost single blooms have 

 malformed reproductive organs, still 

 others are perfect but infertile, etc. 



Lavender and steel blue seem to be 

 the best seed producers and I am quite 

 sure that blue pollen is more productive 



of fertility in doubles than yellow, which 

 continues to give about 25% seeding 

 plants. This may be due to the con- 

 tracted throat which seems to accom- 

 pany this pollen. 



Of volunteers which appear each 

 season the doubles predominate. I 

 have never found one with other than 

 blue pollen. 



The small pointed capsule of the 

 hybrida containing about 250 seeds 

 has developed with the flower, one 

 capsule often producing as many as 

 450 seeds. The dehiscence in singles is 

 in twos but in these doubles it is often 

 in threes and fours. 



In conclusion I quote from De Vries 

 Species and Varieties: "Hays has re- 

 peatedly insisted upon the principle of 

 the choice of the most favorable variety 



