252 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



the N. tabacum (taller) being paler than that used in 1899. Will probably give 

 seeds. 



In both cases (1 and 2) the first generation hybrid of N. sylvestris and 

 N. tabacum was a very beautiful and decorative plant. The length of flower 

 stalk and abundance of flowers was increased by the fact that the flowers 

 were sterile or nearly so. 



THIRD CASE: I wish to report a third case of the same hybridization, 

 made in 1900 by a very careful observer, Mr. Bellair, head gardener of the 

 public gardens of Versailles, which is exceedingly interesting, not only in 

 itself, but also because it differs from what happened at Verrieres in case 

 1, and is a proof of the extraordinary diversity in the results of hybridization. 



The N. sylvestris and N. tabacum gave in 1901 a number of seedlings, 

 much like one another and also very like one we have at Verrieres. Mr. 

 Bellair used them for decoration in the Pare de Versailles, and wrote an 

 article about them in the Revue Horticole, of December 1st, 1901. At that 

 time he stated that the plants were sterile except a few of them which were 

 very like N. sylvestris (same thing occurred at Verrieres). Nevertheless he 

 could find a few good seeds on the distinct hybrids and got a number of new 

 forms, none of them being like either parent, but all intermediate and gen- 

 erally smaller than either. Mr. Bellair sends me the descriptions of four forms. 



A. Dwarf plant, 90 cm. to 1 m. high, flowers horizontal, 10 cm. 

 long, 42-45 mm. broad, foliage dull green, somewhat like that of 

 Nicotiana virginica. 



B. Plant 1 m. 25 high, very stiff, leaves small, flowers looking 

 upwards, about 6 m. long and 3 m. broad. 



C. Plant interesting from the lengths of the flowers (14 cm. 

 instead of 10 cm. in N. sylvestris) which are. however, not very 

 broad. Some of the leaves are long, narrow and drooping, whilst the 

 others have normal proportions. 



D. Plant 1 m. 40 high, very like N. tabacum, but flowers broader, 

 and of pale rose that by and by becomes almost white. 



These four types, says Mr. Bellair, were selected from the bed when 

 still mere seedlings, because they already showed characters distinct from the 

 lot, and they were planted in the garden. 



It was, however, among the plants left in pots that Mr. Bellair was fortu- 

 nate enough to find a few rose N. sylvestris, that is plants almost like N. 

 sylvestris, with flowers only a little shorter and of rose color. 



It is interesting to notice that the plants here described are second gen- 

 eration hybrids, when it is quite expected to find the phenomenon of "vari- 

 ation desordonne," as it was called by Naudin. The forms A, B, and C are 

 exceedingly like the ones we got at Verrieres from the same cross but only 

 in the third generation. Besides, Mr. Bellair was fortunate enough to get 

 plants with colored flowers, which was not our luck. (See case 1.) 



FOURTH CASE: N. tabacum and N. sylvestris. This cross had been tried 

 in 1900 by Mr. Daveau, head gardener in the botanical garden at Montpeliet. 

 The hybrid is described in the Revue Horticole, December 1st, 1901, it is a 

 beautiful plant forming thick bouquets of flowers and absolutely sterile. The 



