226 PRIMULA SINENSIS. CHAP. VI. 



the number of seeds obtained from these two modes of self-fer- 

 tilisation, both of which were illegitimate. The two lots of seeds 

 from both forms were sown thickly on opposite sides of four pots, 

 and numerous plants thus raised. But there was no difference 

 in their growth, excepting in one pot, in which the offspring 

 from the illegitimate union of two long-styled plants exceeded 

 in a decided manner in height the offspring of flowers on the 

 same plants fertilised with their own pollen. But in all four 

 pots the plants raised from the union of distinct plants belonging 

 to the same form, flowered before the offspring from the self- 

 fertilised flowers. 



Some long-styled and short-styled plants were now raised from 

 purchased seeds, and flowers on both forms were legitimately 

 crossed with pollen from a distinct plant; and other flowers on 

 both forms were illegitimately fertilised with pollen from the 

 flowers on the same plant. The seeds were sown on opposite sides 

 of Pots I. to IV. in the following table (XCV.) ; a single plant 

 being left on each side. Several flowers on the illegitimate long- 

 styled and short-styled plants described in the last paragraph, 

 were also legitimately and illegitimately fertilised in the manner 

 just described, and their seeds were sown in Pots V. to VIII. in 

 the same table. As the two sets of seedlings did not differ in 

 any essential manner, their measurements are given in a single 

 table. I should add that the legitimate unions in both cases 

 yielded, as might have been expected, many more seeds than the 

 illegitimate unions. The seedlings whilst half-grown presented 

 no difference in height on the two sides of the several pots. 

 When fully grown they were measured to the tips of their 

 longest leaves, and the result is given in Table XCV. 



In six out of the eight pots the legitimately crossed plants 

 exceeded in height by a trifle the illegitimately self-fertilised 

 plants ; but the latter exceeded the former in two of the pots in a 

 more strongly marked manner. The average height of the eight 

 legitimately crossed plants is 9*01, and that of the eight illegi- 

 timately self-fertilised 9'03 inches; or as 100 to 100 '2. The 

 plants on the opposite sides produced, as far as could be judged 

 by the eye, an equal number of flowers. I did not count the cap- 

 sules or the seeds produced by them ; but undoubtedly, judging 

 from many previous observations, the plants derived from the 

 legitimately crossed seeds would have been considerably more 

 fertile than those from the illegitimately self-fertilised seeds. 

 The crossed plants, as in the previous case, flowered before the 



