HYBRIDISING AND CROSS-BREEDING. 93 



crossing two species are irregular; and to a certain extent, 

 undoubtedly, these assertions are true. We have instances, 

 however, in which the same hybrid has been obtained by two 

 different raisers ; and Mr J. M'Nab, in his presidential address 

 to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, pointed out that some 

 hybrid Rhododendrons can be produced at will by crossing 

 certain species. The late Mr James Cunningham, of the 

 Comely Bank Nurseries, Edinburgh, raised the hybrid 

 Bryanthus erectus by crossing M-enziesia ccerulea with pollen , 

 from Rhododendron chamcecystis ; and Mr J. Anderson-Henry 

 also raised the same hybrid in the same manner. Again, 

 shortly after Messrs Veitch raised their greenhouse hybrid 

 Rhododendron "Princess Royal" (R.jasminiflorum-javanicuni), 

 a plant nearly if not quite identical was raised by Mr W. 

 Wentworth Buller. Mr Marshall exhibited a hybrid Begonia 

 (B. Marshallii} at South Kensington a year or two ago ; and at 

 the same time Mr Dominy had a hybrid (B. Dominiana) to all 

 appearance exactly like it, this last being raised between B. rex 

 and B. argentea. When we see hundreds of seedlings precisely 

 alike spring from the seed-pods of two distinct species, crossed 

 reciprocally, as was the case with Cypripedium Sedeni ( C. longi- 

 folio-Schlimii), we have ample proof that hybridising is not 

 altogether mere chance work, and the seedlings of C. Harris- 

 sianum (C. barbato-villosum\ although variable, were not more 

 so than many species, and are themselves equally fertile ; but 

 it is only by carefully collating a much larger number of facts 

 than we now possess that we shall be able to catch a glimpse 

 of the laws which regulate hybrid productions. A -series of 

 experiments, repeated time after time with the same parent 

 species, would do much to clear up the doubts which now 

 .exist as to the possibility of reproducing hybrids by again 

 crossing the parent species. The facts above cited go to prove 

 that, in some cases at least, this can be done with tolerable 

 precision. It is, of course, essential in experiments of the 

 kind here suggested, that the plants operated on be in the 

 most perfect health; and the heat, moisture, and other con- 

 ditions by which the parent species are surrounded when 

 fertilisation is effected should be carefully noted, and as nearly 

 as possible secured when fertilisation is again repeated. It 

 would be very interesting to take three or four healthy bloom- 

 ing plants of Fuchsia spectabilis as seed-bearers, and cross these 

 with pollen from F. serratifolia, and after sowing the seeds thus 

 produced, note the result, which, according to precedent, 

 should be three or four batches of F. Dominiana. This 

 experiment might be tried in the case of any plants of which 



