Queries and Answers. 95 



same parent, leads to an interesting physiological question, a satisfactory- 

 answer to which would be of real utility to the cause of hybridising in general. 

 Under this impression, I should very much wish that Mr. Milner would make 

 known, through any convenient channel, the circumstances under which his 

 seedlings were originated; what age was the female parent at the time of 

 impregnation ; what state of health, whether in very luxuriant, moderate, or 

 stinted state of growth ; and, more particularly, at what season of the year 

 the seeds were ripe, and whether the seeds were produced on the lateral 

 shoots, or on strong leading shoots ? You may say these are very simple 

 questions : be it so, We all know that artificial or natural peculiarities can 

 be, and are, transmitted from parent to offspring, in the vegetable as well as 

 in the animal kingdom, although we cannot yet, and, perhaps, may never be 

 able to, account why such constitutional peculiarities are so transferred. Let 

 us, then, be content with knowing that these peculiarities do exist ; let us, 

 likewise, multiply and register as many facts as bear directly or indirectly on 

 the subject; and, from an accumulated store of this nature, something tangible 

 may yet be deduced for future guidance. To know when the stigma is ready 

 for dusting with pollen, to extract unripe anthers from an intended female 

 parent, is so simple that it might be taught to a child in a few minutes : not 

 so the means by which certain properties may be produced, and ultimately 

 will probably be produced at pleasure, by cross fertilisation : say, cross 

 offspring with very dwarf and fruitful habits, or the reverse ; very luxuriant 

 habit with double flowers, or the contrary; and many other peculiarities, 

 needless to mention here. Yet we have presumptive evidence already that 

 all these states of existence are guided by certain fixed laws, and, perhaps, 

 depend on the different states of developement of the vital principle in the 

 parents. Any facts, therefore, tending to elucidate such laws or states of 

 developement, cannot be but interesting to the physiologist, and of the greatest 

 use to the hybridist. The following statement, although slightly touched on 

 in a former article of mine, will have its use at this season, when my readers 

 are preparing to try their skill in producing crosses in the corraea and other 

 families. C. speciosa or C. pulchella may be both used for female parents : 

 either of them may be tried with virens ; but clear clean colours in the flowers 

 of this cross cannot be expected, the thing being as much a matter of curi- 

 osity to ascertain the powers of crossing in this very interesting genus, which, 

 like the fuchsia, is a favourite with every one. Virens and riifa will no doubt 

 cross ; but, in this case, virens alone ought to be used as the female parent, 

 riifa being so insignificant a flower, it would be likely soon to reduce the 

 flowers of virens in the offspring. From this cross, by breeding in and in, as 

 the farmers say, a clear white-flowering offspring may reasonably be expected in 

 the third generation ; while, by crossing in and in the highest-coloured 

 varieties from speciosa and pulchella, we may expect deep crimson flowers. 

 This will be the time to try, by crossing the pure white seedling from virens 

 and riifa with this deep crimson variety, to procure clear intermediate colours. 

 All the species and varieties ought to be tried with alba, but the result is very 

 doubtful : however, to use a fireside phrase, there can be no harm in trying 

 it ; and, though if the alba is found to cross with any of the above, we may 

 presume on the offspring being sterile, yet if we could but obtain the least 

 particle of pollen in this offspring, we could easily work our way into the 

 hardy constitution of alba, which would be a very desirable result. 



As to the manner of conducting these experiments, a few words may not 

 be out of place to amateurs and young beginners. Take the healthiest plants 

 you can procure ; and, unless you have very healthy vigorous plants, go 

 directly to the nursery, and procure a few of each sort, with plenty of blossom 

 buds on the strongest leading shoots. Mind, this is the grand secret of the 

 whole business. A practical gardener may take these from the green-house, 

 or even cold-frame, into 75 degrees of heat at once ; but those not conversant 

 with the treatment of plants would soon kill any plant by such a sudden 

 transition. From the middle of February to the end of March is the best 



