THE CRANE'S-BILL FAMILY. 323 



stigma, the ovule would derive nourishment by the super- 

 abundant pollen-grains being absorbed and carried down to it, 

 and then the offspring would resemble the pollen -parent."* 

 Mr P. Grieve asks whether pollen of another plant applied to 

 stigmas which have already been fertilised with other pollen, or 

 with pollen from their own flowers, will affect the seedling pro- 

 geny ? Dr Denny says : " The value of the suggestion con- 

 tained in Mr Grieve's inquiry cannot be over-estimated ; for 

 should the theory be borne out by experiment, we may be en- 

 abled to obtain new forms or varieties of fruits, vegetables, and 

 flowers that could have been obtained in no other way, or at 

 any rate without paying the penalty of sterility in its products : 

 in fact, should such influence really be found to exist in foreign 

 pollen applied after impregnation, I look forward to the possi- 

 bility . of obtaining results equal to the union of two distinct 

 species, and yet to preserve fertility." t 



The object in using a green-leaved, dark-zoned variety as the 

 seed-bearing parent is to secure a robust and vigorous habit 

 in the seedlings, which is very seldom the case when tricolor 

 forms are used as the female parents. The sports above 

 alluded to are frequently produced by seedling plants which 

 have remained in a green-leaved state for two or three years, 

 so that seedlings should not be thrown away too soon. 



The following pertinent notes on the management of Pelar- 

 goniums after fertilisation were originally contributed to the 

 ' Florist ' by Dr Denny : " Between the process of fertilisation 

 and the ripening of the seed, all that is necessary is to give the 

 mother plant "room, air, and sunshine, and a fair supply of 

 water, for if permitted to suffer too severely from drought, the 

 fertilised pip, like the foliage, will turn yellow and fall. As 

 soon as the seed has ripened, and shows symptoms of a desire 

 to take wing and be off, pick it, and enclose it in one of the 

 pieces of demy paper ; pencil the corresponding number of the 

 tally attached to the stalk of the truss upon it, and at once 

 deposit it in a tin-box, with a close-fitting hinged lid, which 

 box should be kept in a dry, cool position, as exposure of the 



* I may here remark that Dean Herbert, Mr Grieve, M. Jean Sisley, 

 Mr Shirley Hibberd, Mr Fenn,. and other hybridisers, agree with Dr 

 Denny as to the general prepotence of the male parent, other things being 

 equal ; and leaving out the question of constitutional vigour, far more 

 direct evidence can be adduced in favour of Dr Denny's axiom than 

 against it. 



t See a valuable and interesting paper by-Dr Denny, "On the Relative 

 Influence of Parentage among Varieties of Zonal Pelargoniums," 'Jour. 

 Hort. Soc.,' iv. 16 ; and an exhaustive essay on cross-breeding these 

 plants, in the ' Florist,' 1872, p. 21, 34, and 50. 



