Cuai>. V. # ONONIS MINU11SSIMA. 1G7 



The three crossed plants now averaged 18" 91, and the three 

 self-fertilised 11 "83 inches in height; or as 100 to C3. The three 

 crossed plants in Pot I., as already shown, had beaten the three 

 self -fertilised plants so completely, that any comparison between 

 them was superfluous. 



The winter of 1870-1871 was severe. In the spring the three 

 crossed plants in Pot II. had not even the tips of their shoots in 

 the least injured, whereas all three self-fertilised plants were 

 killed half-way down to the ground ; and this shows how much 

 more tender they were. In consequence not one of these latter 

 plants bore a single flower during the ensuing summer of 1871, 

 whilst all three crossed plants flowered. 



Ononis minutissima. 



This plant, of which seeds were sent me from North Italy, pro- 

 duces, besides the ordinary papilionaceous flowers, minute, imper- 

 fect, closed or cleistogamic flowers, which can never be cross-ferti- 

 lised, but are highly self-fertile. Some of the perfect flowers were 

 crossed with pollen from a distinct plant, and six capsules thus 

 produced yielded on an average 3 ' 66 seeds, with a maximum 

 of five in one. Twelve perfect flowers were marked and allowed 

 to fertilise themselves spontaneously under a net, and they 

 yielded eight capsules, containing on an average 2 " 38 seeds, with 

 a maximum of three seeds in one. So that the crossed and self- 

 fertilised capsules from the perfect flowers yielded seeds in tho 

 proportion of 100 to 65. Fifty-three capsules produced by the 

 cleistogamic flowers contained on an average 4 1 seeds, so that 

 these were the most productive of all; and the seeds them- 

 selves looked finer even than those from the crossed perfect 

 flowers. 



The seeds from the crossed perfect flowers and from the self- 

 fertilised cleistogamic flowers were allowed to germinate on sand ; 

 but unfortunately only two pairs germinated at the same time. 

 These were planted on the opposite sides of the same pot, which 

 was kept in the greenhouse. In the summer of the same year, 

 when the seedlings were about 4i inches in height, the two lots 

 were equal. In the autumn of the following year (1868) the two 

 crossed plants were of exactly the same height, viz., llf inches, 

 and the two self-fertilised plants 12| and 7| inches ; so that one 

 of the self-fertilised exceeded considerably in height all the others. 

 By the autumn of 1869 the two crossed plants had acquired the 



