296 PERIOD OP FLOWLKING OF CHAP. VIII. 



A consideration of the two first lists, especially of 

 the second one, shows that a tendency to flower first is 

 generally connected with greater power of growth, that 

 is, with greater height. But there are some remarkable 

 exceptions to this rule, proving that some other cause 

 comes into play. Thus the crossed plants both of 

 Lupinus luteus and Clarkia elegans were to the self- 

 fertilised plants in height -as 100 to 82, and yet the 

 latter flowered first. In the third generation of Nico- 

 tiana, and in all three generations of Canna, the 

 crossed and self-fertilised plants were of nearly equal 

 height, yet the self-fertilised tended to flower first. 

 On the other hand, with Primula sinensis, plants 

 raised from a cross between two distinct individuals 

 whether these were legitimately or illegitimately 

 crossed, flowered before the illegitimately self-fertilised 

 plants, although all the plants were of nearly equal 

 height in both cases. So it was with respect to height 

 and flowering with Phaseolus, Specularia, and Borago. 

 The crossed plants of Hibiscus were inferior in height 

 to the self-fertilised, in the ratio of 100 to 109, and yet 

 they flowered before the self-fertilised in three out of 

 the four pots. On the whole, there can be no doubt 

 that the crossed plants exhibit a tendency to flower 

 before the self-fertilised, almost though not quite so 

 strongly marked as to grow to a greater height, to 

 weigh more, and to be more fertile. 



A few other cases not included in the above three 

 lists deserve notice. In all three pots of Viola tricolor, 

 naturally crossed plants the offspring of crossed plants 

 flowered before naturally crossed plants the offspring 

 of self-fertilised plants. Flowers on two plants, both of 

 self-fertilised parentage, of the sixth generation of 

 Mimulus luteus were intercrossed, and other flowers on 

 the same plants were fertilised with their own pollen ; 



