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VOL. LV.— No. 3,037. 



SATURDAY. JANUARY 13, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



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NOTE OF THE WEEK. adverted, it is a recognised fact that whilo. water, the flowers nro small and inconspieu- 



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Cross Fertilisa^tion. 



Nature, in the process of evolution and 

 tlie development of species, lias simul- 

 taneously devised many methods of main- 

 taining tlie integrity of the latter when 



as we have said, Xatiire has barred to a ou,s as seen in the great wind-fertilised 

 very great extent cross fertilisation be- fanjily of the conifers, willows, etc., and in 

 tween spwies in their wild state, eho Inis vallisneri 



contrived innumerable methods of facilit;jt- 



an aquatic. A further proof 

 of the va]u<» of insect agency is undoubtedly 



mg or even securing it between the indivi- seen in the fact that cryptogami<- ])]ants, 

 duals of a species as a means of str^MigtluMi- bearing no obvious flowers at all, liave, to 

 ing the constitutions of the resulting off- al] intents and 



purpose 



spring wliich self-fertilisation is apt in the the inconceivably remote pericKi of the coal 



Ntablished by means of differences of struc- long run to weaken. In-breeding tends to age, when they represented the great b\Uk 



dt^generation in all forms of organic life, of the world's vegetation. In time some of 



animal or vegetable. New blood from time these contrived to vary in such a wav that 



oductii 



live or repidsive capacities in the stig- 

 Kiatic surfaces, different t^.mes of maturity^ 

 :ind so on, so that normaHy na- 

 tural hybrids occur but rarely, 

 and when they do occur are 

 usually non-reproductive, the 

 unnatural alliance going no 

 t urther than the individual. 

 Man, however, has by artificial 

 cross-fertilisation, due to the re- 

 moval of some of these obstacles^ 

 lound it possible to combine not 

 merely species, but even widely 

 flistinct genera, especially in the 

 < ase of orchids, and since there 

 no such antagonism between 

 varieties of 



exists 



to time appears to be essentia!, and it is in primitive flowers 



evolv^ed 



;! s 



a 



between 



gle ispecies 



ii lid 



species 



genera, despite the 

 tact that ^'sports-' may depart 

 so widely from the normal speci- 

 fic type, as to differ therefrom 

 more even than distinct species 

 may do, cross fertilsation be- 

 tween such lias contributed enor- 

 mously to the floral vrealth we 

 P')s^sef^s. In other directions, 

 Two. fruits. v(getables, and foli- 

 ii-*' plants, and last, but by no 

 in cans least, our cereal crops 

 liav(^ beiu^fited greatly by judi- 

 cmus aMianccs and combinations 

 f>f fjualities and constitutional 

 <litiei-(^nces, wliich has increased 



their yield, 

 flavour 



or 



improved their 

 rendered greater 

 tht ir commercial and industri-1 

 value 



w as f ol ! o w ed or ac co m p a n i e d 

 by the conifer, and presently 

 Mune inventive individmUs 

 di'velope<l flowers proper to suit 

 <lull environments, and we may 



then 



that the insect work 



begap, and that more rapid 

 strides were possible. Unfortu- 

 nately, flowers are the most fugi- 

 tive and tran>>ient parts of vege- 

 tation, and hence geoloi:i< i e- 

 cords, whicli teach us all we know 

 of these long past epochs, can 

 tel! us next to nothing about 

 them, though ricli in i lie remains 

 of their flowerh\ss predecessors, 

 or even tho^olid residmr- xomo 

 j)rimr,ry flowering oth^s. 



SOIUf 



a i 



O M. SO. 



as 



the case might be. 

 Xen-.vexual sports,'' of course, 

 nave played probably an 

 iitiportant role in what may 

 t^'tnud human selection as distinct from 



ME. J. COLLIEE. 



even 



more 

 be 



this connection that the insect-world has dom. he 



IVlr. J. Collier, wlut-e por- 

 trait w^e }iav(^ the ]>leasure cf 

 giving herewith, has foi 

 three or four years oc<:u|)hm1 the 

 ])()sit:on of luwid gardenei- 

 Gat ton Park, the firu' Siii rrv 

 seat of Sir JeriMTiiah ( olnian, 



■ 



l^art., and during that j>j iie<l 

 lias given ample evideiut* ol his 



great abilitos in the management 

 of the garden. Although best 

 known to the general body of 

 horticulturists for the sucios 

 a<-hieved in connection with the 

 mai^nifii^ent collection of orchids 



that has made the Gatton Park 

 (i:ar<hMis famous far bevon<l the 



bouiidai-ies of the I'nitcd King- 

 less at home with the 



been of incalculable service in vegetative 

 evolution, not only by conveying the fer- 



many 

 useful 



IS not 

 ornamental 



that 



natural selection, since in the vast majority tilising pollen from one individual to an- 



an 



crops 

 establishment 



at 



plants 

 have 

 of the 



and 



the 



a pla<e in 

 first clas>. 



Judicious crosses, some subtk 



^'*M-s. LiK\se rorni tlie starting point 

 the M^'ective cultivator. 



li^)W(u-er, between normal species, as in the 

 jvoiuierful <.aso of the tuberous and other 

 *"^^oniav. li;,ve had marvellous results the 

 *;^'^niai combination cf two species result- 

 ni- in a sportive c^apacitv in ilie offsprincr 

 ^vhich th(< cultivator *w.> not slow to 

 tlH' ht^nefit, cros^ fertilisation between 

 <.t .pnng fortunately not being handi- 

 ^j'PP*d hy uitertility in this case^ though 

 <'i^ginal parents were verv distinct. 

 ^4>art from the benefits to which we have 



other, generally of the same sptH-ies, hut by Therefore, the visitor to Gatton Park linds 



-of dis<rimination, well-furnishcd and highly-kept fruit and 



4>r mort 



powers 



choosing tlie more conspicuou 

 brightly <'o'oui'ed and by such favoiii'ing oi 

 their repro<luction, gradually improvi tig 

 tluMr bt auiv until (M'en before man came in 

 as a more potent selective factor, the world 

 Avas full of fl )ral gems for him to begin his 

 work upon. Tlie proof that we owe so 

 much to insect choice is mm'u in the fact 



kit<'hen gardens, glass structures devoted 

 to fruits an<l misc(^llaneous plants in a con- 

 dition tliat indii'ates cultural skill of a high 

 ordi^r. and pU'asure grounds of wondrous 

 beaulv as well as orchid houses filled with 

 the cluticest forms of these beautiful plants. 

 Sir tler(4uiali Cohnan is too keenly interest chI 

 in horticulture to devote his attention 



that \^ herever Nature in her infinite v(*rsa- whoily to one aspect of it, and as a conse- 

 tility lia.^ evolved plants wlio^e poiien is quence Mr. Collier has had full opportuni- 

 distributed by other means^ by wind or ties for the display of his varied ability. 



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