204 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Such are for the present the principal variations issuing from the 
hybrid Poppy just mentioned. They are all annual, and partake more or 
less of the glaucous colour of P. somniferwm. They were introduced into 
trade collections in 1895, and are useful as showy annuals. 
But a new departure was recently effected by pollinisation of the 
original hybrid plant by a distant race of the maternal P. bracteatum, 
known in gardens as the Tournefort Poppy, which differs from P. 
bracteatum by the absence of the leafy bracts under the corolla and by an 
orange scarlet instead of a deep blood colour. 
The effect of the new cross was to bring back the plant to a perennial 
habit of growth ; to breed the glaucous colour out of it to a great extent, 
while retaining the branching character of the stem. A perpetual 
growth of flowering stems was also induced, in consequence of which the 
new cross promises to be a valuable hardy plant for the garden, being a 
perpetual bearer of large bright flowers during all the summer and 
autumn. It is quite hardy, and being planted out in September stands 
the winter perfectly, and blooms profusely from May till October. The 
colour of the flowers is a bright scarlet, somewhat verging to orange, with 
petals either plain or blotched : they are large and showy, but naturally 
rather smaller in the more branched plants. 
Some other crosses were attempted, mainly with P. piloswm, Sibth. 
and Sm., and P. glaucuwm, Boiss., which were manifestly successful, 
but up to the present day failed to produce seeds, and are consequently 
confined to the domain of botanical curiosities, while both the annual 
and the perennial forms of the hybrid Poppies just described may hope 
for a successful career amongst the objects of ornamental gardening. 
The CHarrMAN: I am sure everybody here will thank M. de Vilmorin 
for his important communication. As he observes, a cross between two 
species, one perennial and one annual, is of great rarity and of particular 
interest. The attempt at crossing between Sunflowers, one perennial and 
one annual, some time ago was a complete failure. ! do not know 
whether it has since succeeded. 
M. pre Viumorin : I may add, several other crosses were attempted with 
different kinds of Poppies, but only in this one case | came to a definite 
result, and obtained something that might be of interest and use. Most 
of the other attempts failed in the sense that they gave no seeds by which 
to reproduce the hybrid. From many of those we crossed we obtained 
plants, but plants that were entirely barren. . 
The Cuarrman: We still have half-an-hour, and it is suggested that 
we should have a general discussion, not limiting our remarks to anything 
we have heard at the Conference, but taking in any point that may strike 
any member. If you will allow me I will start the ball with a few 
remarks. I would make an observation upon photographs of the micro- 
scopic structure of hybrids. Perhaps many persons have seen Dr. 
MacFarlane’s drawings showing how you get a strict intermediate. Just 
now Dr. Wilson told us it was a difficult thing to study them where you 
got complex hybrids. Dr. MacFarlane only dealt with primary hybrids. 
I have studied those Rhododendrons which Mr. Veitch has raised, and went 
minutely into them and examined them microscopically. But nothing 
