186 



NOLANA PKOSTEATA. 



CHAP. V. 



These two lots of seeds were sown on opposite sides of two 

 large pots ; but I succeeded in raising only four, pairs of equal 

 age. When the seedlings on both sides were about 8 inches 

 in height they were equal. When in full flower they were 

 measured, as follows : 



TABLE LXXIV. 



Us. 



The average height of the four crossed plants is here 20 68, and 

 that of the four self-fertilised 21 '18 inches; or as 100 to 102. 

 The self-fertilised plants thus exceeded the crossed in height by 

 a little ; but this was entirely due to the tallness of one of the 

 self-fertilised. The crossed plants in both pots flowered before 

 the self-fertilised. Therefore I believe if more plants had been 

 raised, the result would have been different. I regret that I did 

 not attend to the fertility of the two lots. 



XXIV. NOLANACE2E. NOLANA PKOSTBATA. 



In some of the flowers the stamens are considerably shorter 

 than the pistil, in others equal to it in length. I suspected, 

 therefore, but erroneously as it proved, that this plant was 

 dimorphic, like Primula, Linum, &c., and in the year 1862 twelve 

 plants, covered by a net in the greenhouse, were subjected to 

 trial. The spontaneously self-fertilised flowers yielded 64 grains 

 weight of seeds, but the product of fourteen artificially crossed 

 flowers is here included, which falsely increases the weight of 

 the self-fertilised seeds. Nine uncovered plants, the flowers of 

 which were eagerly visited by bees for their pollen and were no 

 doubt intercrossed by them, produced 79 grains weight of seeds: 

 therefore twelve plants thus treated would have yielded 105 



