A FEW NOTES ON REPRODUCTION IN HARDY PLANTS. 281 
M. cupreus, growing them together in a cool greenhouse. In the month 
of May, when they were both in bloom, I removed the stamina in an 
imperfect condition from several flowers of ‘ Scarborough Defiance,’ cutting 
off the remaining flowers on the plant, after examining the stigmas with 
the glass to see that there was no pollen already there. Waiting till I 
saw that the stigmas had matured, I took the pollen from M. cupreus, 
and dusted over the two-lipped stigmas of ‘ Scarborough Defiance.’ 
They showed an irritability well worthy of observation. On depositing 
the pollen, the two lamelle or plates of the ‘stigma clapped together, 
effectually protecting the pollen and preventing the intrusion of insects. 
Tying a piece of scarlet worsted round the stems and footstalks of the 
fertilised flowers, I waited patiently for the maturation of the seed pods, 
which contained a large quantity of minute seeds. The seed, as you all 
know, is of a dust-like character, and requires careful manipulation to 
get it to germinate and produce plants: Having prepared some seed 
pans, filled with vegetable mould and sprinkling of sand, finely sifted, 
watered the soil, and allowed it to drain, I sowed the seed, pressing it 
into the soil with a piece of glass. Placing the seed pans on a moistened 
surface in a shady situation, a good stock of seedlings appeared, and got 
past the stage of childhood. 
In the following spring, upon their flowering, I found the whole to be 
identical in character. The plants were very dwarf in habit like the 
pollen bearer, short jointed, and the stems of a reddish-brown colour. 
The flowers were much smaller than the seed bearer, yellowish in colour, 
and covered with minute dots ; clearly demonstrating the powerful in- 
fluence of the pollen of another species, and keeping more to the character 
of the pollen bearer, and proving the dwarfest of the Tigrioides section of 
the Mimulus family. This hybrid was sent out by Mr. Cannell, of 
Swanley, and was a favourite in its day for bedding and for edgings to 
flower beds. 
Conourep ZonaL GERANIUMS.—In 1864 or earlier the floral world was 
curious to know how a tricolour-leaved Geranium, named ‘ Mrs. Pollock,’ 
had been obtained. Mr. Grieve, a, native of Berwickshire, but at the 
time I mention residing near Bury St. Edmunds, had the honour of 
originating this particular strain. His work I have verified in every par- 
ticular. He found by crossing Geranium Golden Chain with Golden 
Pheasant that he obtained a strain which has produced the most wonder- 
ful results in coloured leaves that can be imagined. He found his plants 
very weak in constitution, and some would not live at all, and he was at 
his wits’ end. To give vigour of constitution he chose a dwarf green 
horse-shoe Geranium as the seed bearer, taking the pollen from the high- 
coloured varieties. The higher in colour his seedlings were the more 
tender in constitution they proved. Taking a strong-constitutioned horse- 
shoe-leaved Geranium as the seed bearer, with an extra dark zone for my 
seed bearer, a fine sunny summer, not so common now as then, afforded 
me facilities for fertilisation of the flowers. As the flowers of the 
Geranium above mentioned opened the stamina were carefully removed 
before the maturation of their pollen. At the warmest period of the 
day, when the stigmas were in condition, the pollen from some of Mr. 
Grieve’s high-coloured seedlings was dusted over the three cleft stigmas 
