190 



PETUNIA VIOLACEA. 



CHAP. VI. 



Three capsules were obtained by crossing flowers on the 

 above crossed plants, and three other capsules by again self- 

 fertilising flowers on the self-fertilised plants. One of the latter 

 capsules appeared as fine as any one of the crossed capsules ; 

 but the other two contained many imperfect seeds. From these 

 two lots of seeds the plants of the following generation were 

 raised. 



Crossed and self -fertilised Plants of the Second Generation. As in 

 the last generation, many of the self-fertilised seeds germinated 

 before the crossed. 



Seeds in an equal state of germination were planted on the 

 opposite sides of three pots. The crossed seedlings soon greatly 

 exceeded in height the self-fertilised. In Pot I., when the tallest 

 crossed plant was 10i inches high, the tallest self-fertilised was 

 only 82 inches ; in Pot II. the excess in height of the crossed was 

 not quite so great. The plants were treated as in the last gene- 

 ration, and when fully grown measured as before. In Pot III. 

 both the crossed plants were killed at an early age by some 

 animal, so that the self-fertilised had no competitors. Neverthe- 

 less these two self-fertilised plants were measured, and are in- 

 cluded in the following table. The crossed plants flowered long 

 before their self-fertilised opponents in Pots I. and II., and before 

 those growing separately in Pot III. 



TABLE LXXVII. 

 Petunia violacea (Second Generation). 



The four crossed plants average 40 '5, and the six self-fer- 

 tilised 26-25 inches in height ; or as 100 to 65. But this great 

 inequality is in part accidental, owing to some of the self- 



