CHAP.V. 



LATHYRUS ODORATUS. 



159 



fertilised for many generations; and that in the other lot they 

 were the children of plants which had not been crossed for very 

 many previous generations. The seeds germinated on sand and 

 were planted in pairs on the opposite sides of four pots. They 

 were measured, when fully grown, with the following result : 



TABLE LVI. 



Lathyrus odoratus. 



The average height of the seven self-fertilised plants, the off- 

 spring of crossed plants, is 71'57, and that of the seven self-fer- 

 tilised plants, the offspring of self-fertilised plants, is 64' 57 ; or 

 as 100 to 90. The self-fertilised plants from the self-fertilised 

 produced rather more pods viz., thirty-six than the self-fer- 

 tilised plants from the crossed, for these produced only thirty-one 

 pods. 



A few seeds of the same two lots were sown in the opposite 

 corners of a large box in which a Brugmansia had long been 

 growing, and in which the soil was so exhausted that seeds of 

 Ipomcea purpurea would hardly vegetate ; yet the two plants of 

 tie sweet-pea which were raised flourished well. For a long 

 time the self-fertilised plant from the self-fertilised beat the self- 

 fertilised plant from the crossed plant ; the former flowered first, 

 and was at one time 77 i inches, whilst the latter was only 68i in 

 height; but ultimately the plant from the previous cross showed 

 its superiority and attained a height of 108 i inches, whilst the 

 other was only 95 inches. I also sowed some of the same two 



