224 



PRIMULA VEKIS. 



Chap. VL 



Table XCIV. 

 Primula veris (equal-sfyled, red-jlowcred variety). 



The average height of the three tallest flower-stems on the 

 crossed plants is 8 "66 inches, and that of the three on the 

 self-fertilised plants 7 '33 inches; or as 100 to 85. 



All the crossed plants together produced thirty- three flower- 

 stems, whilst the self-fertilised bore only thirteen. The number 

 of the capsules was counted only on the plants in Pots I. and III., 

 for the self-fertilised plants in Pot II. produced none ; therefore 

 those on the crossed plants on the opposite side were not 

 counted. Capsules not containing any good seeds were rejected. 

 The crossed plants in the above two pots produced 206, and the 

 self-fertilised in the same pots only 32 capsules ; or as 100 

 to 15. Judging from the previous generations, the extreme 

 unproductiveness of the self-fertilised plants in this experiment 

 was wholly due to their having been subjected to unfavourable 

 conditions, and to severe competition with the crossed plants ; 

 for had they grown separately in good soil, it is almost certain 

 that they would have produced a large number of capsules. 

 The seeds were counted in twenty capsules from the crossed 

 plants, and they averaged 24 "75; whilst in twenty capsules 

 from the self-fertilised plants the average was 17 "65; or as 

 100 to 71. Moreover, the seeds from the self-fertilised plants 

 were not nearly so fine as those from the crossed plants. If 

 we consider together the number of capsules produced and 

 the average number of contained seeds, the fertility of the 

 crossed plants to the self-fertilised plants was as 100 to 11. 



