1 66 ARTIFICIAL FERTILISATION 



rupestris showed some sympathy with R. biflorus, in a slight 

 tendency to form seeds, these came to nothing. In all these 

 attempts I applied, as I have said, all the anthers of the male 

 flower. 



I cannot quit this part of the subject without offering some 

 additional suggestions to those who wish to act on any hints I 

 have it in my power to give : 



i st. If your desire be to hasten the flowering condition of 

 plants, I recommend you to cross violently i.e., where the 

 allies are not too near akin, 'and above all, in the case of 

 mongrels ; for nature, ere she gives up, ever makes a violent 

 effort to reproduce. 



2d. If you wish to make your hybrid flower more freely, as 

 well as early, adopt the same advice. 



3d. By following it, you will find that you have attained a 

 further advantage. Your plant will remain longer in bloom, 

 because most mongrels, especially those among herbaceous or 

 soft-wooded plants, to which these suggestions apply, are im- 

 potent to produce seed, or nearly so, and in such cases the 

 blooms remain long upon the plant. I have another idea, 

 not sufficiently tested, however, in reference to the first point 

 among hard-wooded as well as soft-wooded plants, that all such 

 as ripen their seeds more quickly than others (some among the 

 Rhododendron tribe ripen seed in half the time that others 

 take) will reach more quickly their flowering state. 



Lastly, as to fruits on which, however, I have only partially 

 tried my hand I entertain tjie belief that we are on the eve of 

 a revolution, and that by judicious and persevering crossing we 

 may not only transfer the delicious aroma of one to another, 

 and communicate hardier and more abundant bearing habits 

 to the hybrid progeny, but further, especially in stone-fruits, 

 such as Peaches, Plums, Apricots, &c., we may, in addition to 

 these advantages, increase the size of the fruits and diminish 

 the size of the stones ; and, among vines, get rid of, or greatly 

 diminish, the number of the seeds. And all this I hold to 

 arise from that law of nature by which she not merely strains 

 her efforts to reproduce (to which, however, she has assigned 

 limit), but extends it when these have failed to make provision 

 for her creatures' want. These views gather strength from 

 what has been already done ; and I may especially allude to 

 what Mr Standish of Ascot has achieved among Grapes, of 

 whose extraordinary results an interesting account is given at 

 p. 135 of the 'Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society' for 

 July 1866. 



In conclusion, permit me to observe that, while my aim has 



