158 



LATHYKUS ODOKATUS 



CHAP. V. 



The self-fertilised peas were, however, quite as heavy as those 

 from the crossed pods. From these two lots of seeds, the plants 

 of the next generation were raised. 



Plants of the Second Generation. Many of the self-fertilised 

 peas just referred to germinated on sand before any of the 

 crossed ones, and were rejected. As soon as I got equal pairs, 

 they were planted on the opposite sides of two large pots, which 

 were kept in the greenhouse. The seedlings thus raised were the 

 grandchildren of the Painted Lady, which was first crossed by 

 the Purple variety. When the two lots were from 4 to 6 inches 

 in height there was no difference between them. Nor was there 

 any marked difference in the period of their flowering. When 

 fully grown they were measured, as follows : 



TABLE LV. 



Lathyrus odoratus (Second Generation). 



The average height of the six crossed plants is here 62-91, and 

 that of the six self-fertilised 55 31 inches ; or as 100 to 88. There 

 was not much difference in the fertility of the two lots ; the 

 crossed plants having produced in the greenhouse thirty-five 

 pods, and the self-fertilised thirty-two pods. 



Seeds were saved from the self-fertilised flowers on these two 

 lots of plants, for the sake of ascertaining whether the seedlings 

 thus raised would inherit any difference in growth or vigour. 

 It must therefore be understood that both lots in the following 

 trial are plants of self-fertilised parentage ; but that in the one 

 lot the plants were the children of plants which had been crossed 

 during two previous generations, having been before that self- 



