Xlii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



0 oz. passed through before ammonia was detected, therefore 

 the soil held 3^ grains. It ran through in half-an-hour. The 

 significance of these experiments showed that unless the salts 

 be placed directly in contact with the roots, it might be retained 

 in the soil and no result would follow. 



Prepotency of the Male Parent. — Mr. Douglas brought a very 

 interesting communication on prepotency in crossing Carnations 

 from Martin Smith, Esq., of The Warren, Hayes, of which the 

 following is an abstract : — " One very strong bit of evidence in 

 favour [of the male prepotency] is given by the crosses on 

 ' Germania.' This is a flower of tremendous individuality, and 

 if any flower could transmit its peculiarities to its descendants, it 

 would be this ; yet Germania (yellow) is swamped by the 

 prepotency of the pollen parent in the great majority of cases. 



1 hardly ever get a yellow worth having ; but when I do I find 

 them, as a rule, pure reproductions on a most feeble scale of the 

 mother; and I always regard them as products of Germania 

 fertilised by pollen of flowers on the same plant, or from one in 

 the immediate vicinity." Mr. Smith sends a table of crosses in 

 which is Germania (seed parent) x King of Scarlets: — Produce, 

 two yellow-ground Picotees, one yellow self ; Germania x Sir B. 

 Seymour, all the produce took after the male parent ; G. x a 

 maroon, nearly all the offspring maroons ; G. x Mrs. Vernon 

 Harcourt : offspring, five scarlets and one maroon ; G. x Ariadne 

 gave scarlet, crimson, and rose. " The strongest evidence on 

 ihe other side is afforded by the produce of Madame A. 

 Warocque x G. I have at one time or another, since 1892, 

 saved nearly ninety plants from this cross, and I never raised a 

 yellow from it ; a few buffs and apricots, but never a true yellow, 

 by far the largest proportions being scarlets, rose, and crimsons. 

 It seems to me to be easy enough in a cross for other colours to 

 swamp yellow, but quite another thing for yellow to override 

 other colours, unless it exists in both parents. The most it 

 seems able to do is to produce orange and buff." In further 

 illustration of this fact he gives the following cases : — Ruby x G. 

 gave two rose (no trace of yellow) ; Governor (maroon) x G. gave 

 one yellow, one buff, two rose, and one crimson ; Madame Van 

 Boutte and Ella Murray x (!.: all the offspring took after the 

 mother. Mr. Smith adds the following interesting fact with 

 "whites" : — " When you cross violent contrasts of colour, such 



