LECTURE ON THE PELARGONIUM. 



21 



through the sieve. Moreover, the raising of varieties has been to a 

 great extent reduced to scientific principles, and we obtain as a 

 result new characters suggestive of the great extent of the field that 

 still lies open to the adventurous spirit in cross-breeding. No one 

 in recent years has contributed more directly towards the scientific 

 treatment of the subject than our painstaking Treasurer Dr. Denny, 

 of whose labours I propose to present a hasty sketch. 



Dr. Denny commenced the raising of Pelargoniums in the year 

 1866, having in view to ascertain the influence of parentage, and 

 thus to estalish a rule for the selection of varieties for seed-bearing 

 purposes. In raising varieties with variegated leaves, as also with 

 distinct and handsome flowers, he found the pollen parent exercised 

 the greatest influence on the offspring. The foundation of his strain 

 of circular-flowered Zonals was obtained by fertilising the large 

 starry flowers of Leonidas with pollen taken from the finely-formed 

 flowers of Lord Derby. From 1871 to the present time Dr. Denny 

 has sent out sixty varieties, and he has in the same period raised 

 and flowered and destroyed about thirty thousand. These figures 

 show that when the selection is severe, and nothing is allowed to 

 pass that is not of the highest quality, there must be five hundred 

 seedlings grown for the chance of obtaining one worth naming. The 

 late Mr. John Salter used to say that it was needful to flower two 

 thousand seedling Chrysanthemums for the chance of one worth 

 naming. Therefore, if the comparison is of any value, it shows that 

 raising Zonals is a very profitable business, the chances of success 

 being four times greater than with Chrysanthemums. But Dr. 

 Denny obtains more good things than he sends out, for he makes 

 every year a selection of plants for seeding, and these amount to 

 about 3 per cent, of the total number. It will be seen therefore 

 that for every one sent out under name there are about fifteen 

 equally good or nearly so, but for some reason or other they are not 

 parted with, but are reserved to supply seed or pollen, and are then 

 destroyed to make room for a new selection. 



Amongst many interesting results of our friend's observations is 

 one that strikingly confirms a suspicion that accompanies a study 

 of Sweet's portraits — it is that some varieties assume the 

 character and bearing of species, and by self-fertilisation reproduce 



