Chap. IV. CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS. 99 



maximum of twenty in one capsule. Some flowers were arti- 

 ficially self-fertilised, but their capsules did not contain so many 

 seeds as those from flowers spontaneously self-fertilised under 

 the net, of which a considerable number were produced. Fourteen 

 of these latter capsules contained on an average 4*1 seeds, with 

 a maximum in one of ten seeds ; so that the seeds in the crossed 

 capsules were in number to those in the self-fertilised capsules as 

 100 to 25. The self-fertilised seeds, fifty-eight of which weighed 

 3-88 grains, were, however, a little finer than those from the 

 crossed capsules, fifty-eight of which weighed 3 ' 76 grains. When 

 few seeds are produced, these seem often to be better nourished 

 and to be heavier than when many are produced. 



The two lots of seeds in an equal state of germination were 

 planted, some on opposite sides of a single pot, and some in the 

 open ground. The young crossed plants in the pot at first ex- 

 ceeded by a little in height the self-fertilised ; then equalled them ; 

 were then beaten ; and lastly were again victorious. The plants, 

 without being disturbed, were turned out of the pot, and planted 

 in the open ground; and after growing for some time, the 

 crossed plants, which were all of nearly the same height, exceeded 

 the self-fertilised ones by 2 inches. When they flowered, the 

 flower-stems of the tallest crossed plant exceeded that of the 

 tallest self-fertilised plant by 6 inches. The other seedlings 

 which were planted in the open ground stood separate, so that 

 they did not compete with one another ; nevertheless the crossed 

 plants certainly grew to a rather greater height than the self-fer- 

 tilised ; but no measurements were made. The crossed plants 

 which had been raised in the pot, and those planted in the open 

 ground, all flowered a little before the self-fertilised plants. 



Grossed and self-fertilised Plants of the Second Generation. Some 

 flowers on the crossed plants of the last generation were again 

 crossed with pollen from another crossed plant, and produced 

 fine capsules. The flowers on the self-fertilised plants of the 

 last generation were allowed to fertilise themselves spontaneously 

 under a net, and they produced some remarkably fine capsules. 

 The two lots of seeds thus produced germinated on sand, and 

 eight pairs were planted on opposite sides of four pots. These 

 plants were measured to the tips of their leaves on the 

 20th of October of the same year, and the eight crossed plants 

 averaged in height 8 " 4 inches, whilst the self-fertilised averaged 

 8*53 inches, so that the crossed were a little inferior in height, 

 as 100 to 101 "5. By the 5th of June of the following year these 



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