94 OK1GANUM VULGAUE. CHAP. Ill 



It may be here seen that each of the six tallest crossed plants 

 exceeds in height its self-fertilised opponent; the former 

 averaged 27 '85 inches, whilst the six tallest self-fertilised plants 

 averaged 21 16 inches ; or as 100 to 76. In all three pots the 

 first plant which flowered was a crossed one. All the crossed 

 plants together produced 409 flowers, whilst all the self-fertilised 

 together produced only 232 flowers ; or as 100 to 57. So that 

 the crossed plants in this respect were far more productive than 

 the self-fertilised. 



OBIGANUM VULQARE. 



This plant exists, according to H. Muller, under two forms ; 

 one hermaphrodite and strongly proterandrous, so that it is 

 almost certain to be fertilised by pollen from another flower ; 

 the other form is exclusively female, has a smaller corolla, and 

 must of course be fertilised by pollen from a distinct plant 

 in order to yield any seeds. The plants on which I experi- 

 mented were hermaphrodites ; they had been cultivated for a 

 long period as a pot-herb in my kitchen garden, and were, like 

 so many long-cultivated plants, extremely sterile. As I felt 

 doubtful about the specific name I sent specimens to Kew, and 

 was assured that the species was 0. vulgare. My plants formed 

 one great clump, and had evidently spread from a single root 

 by stolons. In a strict sense, therefore, they all belonged to the 

 same individual. My object in experimenting on them was, 

 firstly, to ascertain whether crossing flowers borne by plants 

 having distinct roots, but all derived asexually from the same 

 individual, would be in any respect more advantageous than 

 self-fertilisation ; and, secondly, to raise for future trial seedlings 

 which would constitute really distinct individuals. Several 

 plants in the above clump were covered by a net, and about two 

 dozen seeds (many of which, however, were small and withered) 

 were obtained from the flowers thus spontaneously self-fertilised. 

 The remainder of the plants were left uncovered and were in- 

 cessantly visited by bees, so that they were doubtless crossed 

 by them. These exposed plants yielded rather more and finer 

 seed (but still very few) than did the covered plants. The two 

 lots of seeds thus obtained were sown on opposite sides of two 

 pots ; the seedlings were carefully observed from their first 

 growth to maturity, but they did not differ at any period in 

 height or in vigour, the importance of which latter observation 

 we shall presently see. When fully grown, the tallest crossed 



