No. 4.] CROSSING OF PLANTS. 49 



successful pollinations — if by success we mean the forma- 

 tion and growth of fruit — really secured us seeds, or about 

 one-fourth of the whole number of efforts. 



Twenty pollinations were made between potato flowers, 

 and they all failed ; also seven pollinations of red peppers, 

 four of husk tomato, two of Nicotiana affinis upon petunia 

 and two of the reciprocal cross, twelve of radish, one of 

 Mirabilis Jalapa upon M. longiflora and two of the recip- 

 rocal cross, three Convolvulus major upon O. minor and one 

 of the reciprocal, one musk-melon by squash, two musk- 

 melon by water-melon, and one musk-melon by cucumber. 



This is but one record. Now let me give you another : — 



Cucumber, ninety-five efforts : fifty-two successes, forty- 

 three failures. Tomato, forty-three efforts : nineteen suc- 

 cesses, twenty-four failures. Egg-plant, seven efforts : one 

 success, six failures. Pepper, fifteen efforts : one success, 

 fourteen failures. Husk tomato, forty-five efforts : forty- 

 five failures. Pepino, twelve efforts : twelve failures. Petunia 

 by Nicotiana affinis, eleven efforts : eleven failures. Nicotiana 

 affinis by petunia, six efforts : six failures. General Grant 

 tobacco by Nicotiana affinis, eleven efforts : eight successes, 

 three failures. Nicotiana affinis by General Grant tobacco, 

 fifteen efforts : fifteen failures. General Grant tobacco by 

 General Grant tobacco, one effort : one success. Nicotiana 

 affinis by Nicotiana affiinis, three efforts : two successes, one 

 failure. Tuberous begonia, five efforts : five successes. 



Total, three hundred and twelve efforts : eighty-nine suc- 

 cesses, two hundred and twenty-three failures. 



And now, the sum of it all is this : encourage in every 

 way crosses within the limits of the variety and in connection 

 with change of stock, expecting increase in vigor and pro- 

 ductiveness ; hybridize if you wish to experiment, but do it 

 carefully, honestly, thoroughly, and do not expect too much. 

 Extend Darwin's famous proposition to read like this : 

 Nature abhors both perpetual self-fertilization and hybridiza- 

 tion. 



The Chairman. There is now an opportunity for gentle- 

 men to ask any questions of the lecturer. I know he has 

 not had time to tell us one-half he has learned by his own 



