HYBRIDISING IN AUSTRALIA. 399 
definitely sterile. For five consecutive years I crossed H. corymbiflora 
with all the best commercial varieties known tome. Large numbers were 
raised and tested every year, with the result that I was surrounded with 
a host of mere weeds, none being equal to any of the parents used. At 
this stage I began to seriously consider whether to abandon the enter- 
prise or adopt some other course to gain my object. The plants 
previously raised were carefully scrutinised, and one white variety was 
found, which was raised three years previously, which seemed promising ; 
and as it was already bearing seed this decided it to be the variety to 
operate upon, as I consider it is waste of time to work upon anything 
that shows no natural disposition to fruit. This variety, though of no 
commercial value, was named ‘ Progenitor’ merely for the sake of identifi- 
cation. It proved a difficult variety to emasculate, as the stamens were 
set deeper in the tube than any variety I have met with ; it necessitated 
laying open the tube nearly down to the junction ; a delicate operation 
as the pistil will not bear exposure without injury, even when fully 
developed. ‘Progenitor’ was crossed the first season with ‘ Priory 
Beauty,’ ‘President Cleveland,’ Hogarthu, and ‘Laura.’ About one 
hundred plants were raised from the seeds obtained from these crosses, 
and eighty reached the flowering stage the following autumn. The 
control of colour was more complete in this instance than in any other of 
the numerous crosses my notes record. As I have before mentioned, the 
seed parent was white, but not one white variety appeared in the whole 
batch of plants. Those pollinated with ‘ President Cleveland’ and 
Hogarthii were various shades of red, and those with ‘ Priory Beauty ’ 
shades of pink, while the ‘ Laura’ influence resulted in varied shades 
of salmon. The blooms of most were very large, and in some instances 
the trusses were immense, while a good many showed a leaning towards 
the sparsely flowered heads of H. corymbiflora. As most of the best still 
remain here, I can only point you to one which has recently been dis- 
tributed in England, viz. ‘ King of Scarlets,’ which was among the first 
batch of meritorious varieties raised. Nearly all produced the sweet jas- 
mine perfume which characterises H. corymbijflora, though in ‘ King of 
Scarlets’ there appears to be a departure, as in it there isa decided leaning 
towards vanilla. 
By the above remarks on the Bouvardia I have no doubt the hybridist 
will perceive a deep object lesson, insomuch that a revolution may be 
effected when all outward appearances are most discouraging. In the 
above instance there was three years’ loss of energy by persistently 
following one course, instead of following up any little break of 
character at first obtained, as this is clearly a case that needed the second 
generation to accomplish what was only partially done by the first. And 
the first step in this instance had more the appearance of a retrograde 
character than an advanced stage. More recently these crosses have been 
repeated, and have brought about a notable increase in the segments 
from the normal four to five and six, which gives the flower a rounder and 
much fuller appearance. I may mention one exceptionally fine form 
named ‘Magnificent’ which has outdistanced all others. This usually 
has six segments, and as the pips are from an inch and a quarter to an 
inch and a half across, and as about fifty of these go to make an ordinary 
