ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF PLANTS. 453 



is a prodigious bearer. Four seedlings between "Oscar" 

 and " British Queen " are all deficient in flavour. Of seven 

 seedlings from " British Queen," crossed with " La Con- 

 stante," five are worthless from the fruitist's point of view, 

 although one is so distinct in habit as to be scarcely like a 

 Strawberry, and one so positively nauseous in flavour that 

 it leaves an unpleasant sensation on the palate long after 

 tasting ; yet from the same fruit and parentage, one is of 

 good flavour, and another of positively fine flavour. Of 

 eight seedlings raised from "Admiral Dundas," crossed 

 with " Crimson Queen," four are small and almost flavour- 

 less ; two are large handsome fruit, of fine colour and fine 

 flavour ; one is very late, of pleasant but not rich flavour ; 

 and one is early, the fruit large, of moderate flavour, and 

 produced in extraordinary quantities. 



I shall now conclude these remarks with a few practi- 

 cal deductions. We have seen that in the improvement 

 of races much may be accomplished by mere selection, but 

 hybridising and cross-breeding, if in some cases and with 

 some experimentalists unsuccessful, are in the hands of 

 others shorter and surer roads to the attainment of a given 

 object. We have seen that our best vegetable physio- 

 logists are of opinion that hybrids and cross-breds derive 

 their form and habit from the female, the colour of the 

 flowers from the male, while the constitution may be 

 acquired from either parent. This is sometimes, and may 

 be generally true, but the exceptions are so numerous 

 that they cannot, according to my experience, be said to 

 prove the rule. It is generally admitted that the most 

 perfectly developed flowers and fruits are the best for the 

 improver to work upon, and this is, I believe, true as a 

 rule, although still attended with exceptions. Personally 

 I have learnt from my labours in this field never to lose 

 heart or hope. For sixteen years from 1843 to 1859 I 

 had laboured with such qualified success in raising seed- 

 ling Roses that I had then minimised the amount of 

 labour by omitting the costly process, in point of time, of 



