A FEW NOTES ON REPRODUCTION IN HARDY PLANTS. 287 
lute and utter sterility, just as in the same manner occurs in crossing distinct 
species. Florists who have worked to improve the Polyanthus, I mean 
the Gold-laced show variety, must all have observed the great difficulty 
of obtaining good fertile seed. When the stamina occupy the centre of 
the flower or corolla, florists denominate the condition as thrum-eyed, 
and is the true form, other things being equal. When the pistil protrudes 
in the centre, then ‘“‘pin-eyed”’ is the name applied. It is no use to 
apply pollen from a short-stamened flower to the protruding pistil of the 
pin-eyed flower, but with pollen from a long-stamened flowera cross can 
be obtained that will produce good flowers from fertilised seed. This is 
exactly how florists work in obtaining new varieties. A pin-eyed flower 
of fine lacing and trussing habit is chosen for the seed bearer. The 
pistil is dusted with pollen from a good show flower, which must be 
thrum-eyed and with long stamina; and, other things being favourable, 
good reliable seed is the result. No flower has given worse produce than 
the show Polyanthus, simply from the fact of the ignorance of the raisers, 
till Mr. Charles Darwin proved by his own experiments the reason why, 
and solved the problem. In following out his theories and practice, I 
have during the last few years tried to get the bright colour of some of 
our Alpine Auriculas infused into the Primula Auricula of the Alps and 
mountains of the Tyrol; and I do not despair of getting the hardy free- 
growing Primula marginata, with its beautiful foliage, to reciprocate a 
cross with the pollen from some of their high-coloured relations. As it 
is, P. viscosa, P. integrifolia, and P. ciliata have already furnished me 
with encouraging results, which in another season I hope to improve 
upon. The weather during the spring has been so cold, sunless, and 
wet that little could be done in the way of crossing the varieties of 
Primula. Although the plants are kept in the meantime in rudely con- 
structed cold frames, very little seed will be got. Careful testing of 
seedlings already obtained is just as important, and I hope next season 
to have something to show. There is a vigour of constitution in these 
crossed seedlings which contrasts favourably with that of the old show 
varieties of Auricula, which owing to lack of constitution are now only 
grown by some enthusiasts, beautiful though they undoubtedly are. 
