July 11, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



some information regarding the relative powers the respective 

 parents exert over their progeny, I commenced a series of ex- 

 periments upon the scarlet section of the Pelargonium, employ- 

 ing varieties of the most opposite and varied character, and 

 crossing them in every conceivable way. 



I conducted these experiments, too, with the utmost possible 

 care and minuteness of detail, both as regards the methods I 

 adopted for preventing self or insect fertilisation, for ensuring 

 the fertilisation being effected by the desired pollen only; and 

 as regards the keeping an exact register of every cross, as well 

 as a record of the results. 



By this means I soon arrived at a satisfactory conclusion as 

 regards the points at issue respecting the transmission of 

 variegation of the foliage by fertilisation, from the fact of its 

 being manifested to a greater or less degree in as large a propor- 

 tion as from 50 to 60 per cent, of the offspring, where the green 

 Zonal had been fertilised by the pollen of the variegated ; I also 

 obtained some valuable information indicative of the powers 

 the respective parents exert upon various other points in con- 

 nection with the transmission and modification of the foliage 

 and habit of the plant, as well as of the colour and form of the 

 flower. 



From the information thus derived, I am of opinion that by 

 careful and persistent fertilisation, under the guidance of the 

 observation of results, it is possible to produce almost any modi- 

 fication in the character and habit of our plants, and variety of 

 colour and form in our flowers we might desire ; for I am satis- 

 fied that by these means we possess a much greater power of 

 moulding our flowers in accordance with preconceived design 

 than is generally supposed ; and, moreover, I think it possible 

 that ultimately some insight may be obtained into the working 

 of the laws that govern procreation in the vegetable kingdom, 

 and that produce variation in our fruits and flowers. 



The result of my experience derived from these experiments, 

 as regards the relative influence of the parents, certainly tends 

 in the reverse direction to my previous ideas, which were derived 

 from books, from which I gleaned that the form of the flower 

 and constitution and habit of the plant were inherited from its 

 mother, whilst the colour of the flower only was supposed to be 

 conveyed by the father. The recorded results of my crossings 

 indicate an immense preponderance of influence over the progeny 

 on the part of the father, in all respects — in colour and in form, 

 in the quality, in size, and substance of the flower, as well as in 

 the production of variegation of the foliage, and in the habit and 

 constitution of the plant also, provided the plants employed are 

 of equal strength. 



I wish to be distinct upon this point of relative strength of 

 the parents, because it seems to me that upon the equality or 

 the preponderance of strength on either side very much hinges, 

 as regards the results we obtain from our crossings, for power of 

 constitution exerts most unmistakeable influence, and where it 

 preponderates on the part of the seed parent it will modify the 

 otherwise prepotent influence of the pollen parent. This modi- 

 fying influence manifests itself most as regards the habit and 

 foliage of the plant, and n«xt as regards the form and substance 

 of the flower, and lastly as regards the production of a blend in 

 the colour of the flower. 



To instance what I mean (I am alluding to the Pelargonium), 

 if the pollen of a flower of brilliant and decided colour, but of 

 had form and substance, belonging to a plant of weakly con- 

 stitution, be applied to the stigma of a finely formed thick- 

 petalled flower of a plant possessing a vigorous constitution, 

 some few of their progeny will be influenced towards improve- 

 ment in the form and substance of the flowers and habit of plant, 

 with, perhaps, some blend in the colour, showing that the pre- 

 ponderance of vigour in the seed parent had exerted a certain 

 amount of influence ; but even under these circumstances much 

 the greater proportion of the progeny would either resemble the 

 father in all respects, or show reversion towards former progeni- 

 tors, or an original type. 



I will quote a case or two in point from my note-book. During 

 the summer of 1869 I raised about 140 seedlings from crossings 

 between Lord Derby and Leonidas. In about half of these 

 Lord Derby was the pollen, and Leonidas the seed parent ; and 

 half resulted from crosses effected the reverse way. The flower 

 of Lord Derby possessed the fine qualities, both as regards form 

 of petal and smoothness of texture, but was wanting in depth 

 aad brilliancy of colour, and in substance also; and the plantwas 

 deficient in vigour of constitution as compared with Leonidas. 



The flower of Leonidas was much inferior as regards form and 

 quality, but of greater substance and brilliancy of colour, as well 

 as larger than Lord Derby ; and the plant possessed a vigorous 

 constitution. 



These seedlings flowered during the spring and summer of 

 1870 of that portion in which Lord Derby was used as pollen 

 parent, and Leonidas as Beed parent, about one-third resembled 

 in all i-espects their father, a few produced flowers very consider- 

 ably in advance of Lord Derby in size, substance, and in colour 

 of the flower, and with a superior constitution and habit of plant, 

 showing the influence of the mother in conbination with the 



father's. (I would instance Sir Charles Napier as an example, 

 and which resulted from this cross). Of the remaining two- 

 thirds, a few very nearly resembled in flower Leonidas except 

 being paler in colour and having a somewhat increased breadth 

 of petal, resulting from the father's influence (for instance, Iago) ; 

 but a large proportion were inferior, showing reversion towards 

 an ancestral type. 



Of that portion in which Leonidas was used as pollen, and 

 Lord Derby as seed parent, nearly half resembled in all respects 

 their father, and the rest were much inferior ; not one showed 

 that any appreciable amount of influence had been exerted by 

 the mother towards improvement. It will be observed that in 

 this cross the pollen parent possessed both the inferior flower 

 and the most powerful constitution also. As regards the habit 

 of these seedlings, they were all more robust than their mother's. 



The same season I raised about sixty seedlings from a cross 

 between Celestial and Lord Derby. Celestial, which was used 

 as pollen parent, possessed a brilliant magenta-coloured flower, 

 but of very bad form and substance, and possessed a weakly con- 

 stitution; from this batch of seedlings a few produced flowers of 

 a colour very similar to their father's, but somewhat less 

 brilliant, and with a great improvement as regards the form, 

 quality, size, and substance of the flower, accompanied, too, with 

 a fair habit and constitution of plant, showing a marked influence 

 on the part of the mother, which in this cross was decidedly the 

 stronger of the two parents. Ianthe resulted from this cross. 

 The remainder of this batch were mostly of very bad form and 

 quality of flower, and weakly constitutions ; but there were some 

 very brilliant and novel colours, interesting examples of colour 

 blending, amongst them were carmine, rose-crimson, pinks, and 

 vivid scarlets — some in all respects resembled Celestial. 



My large seedling Nosegay Wellington was the result of a cross 

 between Le Grand (Nosegay) and Leonidas, Le Grand being used 

 as pollen parent. Here the plants were about equally vigorous. 

 "Wellington resembles in the character of its flower its father, 

 but with an increased breadth of petal derived from its mother ; 

 the colour of the flower is nearly that of the father's also, but it 

 is somewhat a blend, the purple hue of Le Grand and the deep 

 scarlet of Leonidas having produced a very dark crimson scarlet, 

 almost maroon. The foliage, too, of Wellington is most dis- 

 tinctly of the Nosegay tpye ; its habit still more vigorous than 

 either parent. 



In breeding forvariegates, and using the variegates (which, as 

 a rule, are wanting in vigour) as pollen parents, and the robust 

 green Zonals as seed parents, about half the number of their 

 progeny showed variegation, and possessed weakly constitutions, 

 the remainder being green Zonals ; upon the order of procedure 

 being reversed, by which the pollen par,ent became the parent 

 of very much the greater vigour, the mother's influence was 

 almost nil. 



I believe that it is owing to the existence of a difference in the 

 vigour of the respective parents that the production of novelties 

 and varieties in our flowers (and probably in our fruits too) 

 mainly depends, and that were it not for a preponderance of 

 power on the mother's side, the progeny would almost invariably 

 resemble the father ; and hence the immutability of our flowers 

 and vegetables, which are annually reproduced from seed, the 

 result of self-fertilisation. 



But I consider another source of the production of novelties 

 and variation exists in the tendency in all flowers (and fruits) 

 that have been artificially bred up to a state far in advance of 

 their original condition, to revert towards former progenitors 

 (especially under the influence of self-fertilisation), by which 

 means new combinations of ancestral properties are formed, and 

 hence new varieties. 



Even under artificial fertilisation I find in the Pelargonium 

 this tendency to reversion to exert very considerable modifying 

 influences. Especially have I observed it as regards the colour 

 of the flower ; for instance, the magenta shades that have been 

 produced upon the scarlet Pelargoniums have resulted from the 

 crossing of pinks upon scarlets ; and very many of my seedlings, 

 the offspring resulting from the crossing of two magenta-coloured 

 flowers, have produced pink ones as well as scarlets, showing 

 reversion to both the colours of their immediate ancestors. 



It is a point worthy of observation whether the colour of a 

 flower, or a change in the character of a plant that has been 

 recently obtained, are conveyed to their offspring in the same 

 proportion as to numbers, and with the same certainty as those 

 of long standing. I think not. 



I must also mention a remarkable instance of reversion as 

 regards foliage that has occurred in two of a number of seedlings 

 raised this spring from Violet Hill Nosegay as seed parent, 

 crossed by Ianthe, with the object of obtaining variety in the 

 flower. Two of this batch of seedlings have come variegates. 

 Now Violet Hill was bred for variegation, and was planted out 

 at Messrs. Henderson's establishment at St. John's Wood in the 

 spring of 1864, with a view to its breaking into variegation, but 

 which it did not do, but was selected, and subsequently sent 

 out, for its flower, and on account of its dwarf habit of growth. 



My notes would furnish innumerable examples in support of 



