24 On the Production of Hybrid Vegetables. 



the hybrid Crinum Govenium, figured in the Horticultural 

 Transactions* has not produced any seed, either from im- 

 pregnation with its own dust, or with that of other Crinums. 

 although I applied that of C. speciosissimum and C. brevifo- 

 lium. Its stigma was, however, quite perfect, and furnished 

 with the usual tubular fringe, and the particles of its pollen, 

 examined with the microscope, though not very abundant, 

 appeared to be furnished with the viscous juice which I 

 consider to be the proof of fertility. I did not think of 

 examining the interior of the germen till it had begun to turn 

 yellows but it appeared then, as if there had been a deficiency 

 of the embryo seeds in the germen, and therefore an incapa- 

 city of bearing seed. Next summer I shall examine the 

 germen while it is fresh, and try whether the pollen of this 

 hybrid Crinum will fertilize any other. If the mule Crinum 

 should prove to have no embryo seed at all in its young 

 germen, its apparent sterility would be at once explained. 



The American Azaleas do not produce seed abundantly in 

 this country, and one reason for this is that they are fre- 

 quently entirely deficient in pollen, in consequence, perhaps, 

 of the dryness of our atmosphere or soil in spring, compared 

 with that of America. In the second week of last May I was 

 desirous of impregnating Rhododendron Azaleoides, which 

 had no pollen of its own, with that of some Azalea, but I 

 could not find a single Azalea flower that had any pollen. 

 I touched its stigma therefore with the dust of Rhododen- 

 dron Catawbiense. The capsules swelled, and in August 

 they appeared in fair progress to ripen the seed, but owing 

 to the extraordinary drought (the plant not having been 



* Vol. III. page 187. 



