90 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



An interesting paper on this race of hybrids, by Pro- 

 fessor Henslow, was published in the Journal of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, vol. xiii. p. 240. The double-flowered 

 varieties were obtained from a flower which possessed one 

 or two petaloid stamens and was fertilised with its own 

 pollen. From its seeds fifteen plants were raised, some of 

 which had single flowers, others semi-double, and others 

 quite double. 



The species not only readily intercross, but the hybrids 

 obtained from them are perfectly fertile. The present race 

 is the result of crossing and recrossing to the fourth genera- 

 tion, so that there has been a thorough mixing of the 

 characters of the several species used. Some interesting 

 facts were elicited by these crossings. Thus, when a white 

 flower was crossed with a yellow one, the progeny were 

 either white or yellow, generally white. White crossed 

 with orange sometimes yielded pink ; crimson crossed with 

 yellow gave scarlet ; pink crossed with yellow gave pure 

 yellow, except on the anthers, which were pink. As a rule, 

 better forms of flowers and clearer colours are secured 

 when hybrids are crossed with species than when hybrids 

 are crossed with each other. 



