180 



LOBELIA FULGENS. 



TABLE LXX. 

 Lobelia fulyens (First Generation}. 



The mean height of the flower-stems of the two crossed plants 

 in Pots I. and EL is here 34 '75 inches, and that of the two self- 

 fertilised plants in the same pots 44 -25 inches; or as 100 to 127. 

 The self-fertilised plants in Pots III. and IV. were in every 

 respect very much finer than the crossed plants. 



I was so much surprised at this great superiority of the self- 

 fertilised over the crossed plants, that I determined to try how 

 they would behave in one of the pots during a second growth. 

 The two plants, therefore, in Pot I. were cut down, and repotted 

 without being disturbed in a much larger pot. In the following 

 year the self-fertilised plant showed even a greater superiority 

 than before; for the two tallest flower-stems produced by the 

 one crossed plant were only 29 J and 30|- inches in height, 

 whereas the two tallest stems on the one self-fertilised plant 

 were 49f and 49f inches ; and this gives a ratio of 100 to 167. 

 Considering all the evidence, there can be no doubt that these 

 self-fertilised plants had a great superiority over the crossed 

 plants. 



Crossed and self-fertilised Plants of the Second Generation. I 

 determined on this occasion to avoid the error of using pollen of 

 not quite equal maturity for crossing and self-fertilisation ; so 

 that I squeezed pollen out of the conjoined anthers of youug 

 flowers for both operations. Several flowers on the crossed plant 

 in Pot I. in Table LXX. were again crossed with pollen from a 

 distinct plant. Several other flowers on the self-fertilised plant 



