396 
Cooperative Investigations on Plants 
namely, to allow the colour-printer to reproduce in possibly evanescent colours, 
which will show for some time at least the apparent continuity of pigmentation 
in the Shirley Poppy. It will be seen from our plate that while white-pinks, 
pinks, rose-pinks, terra-cottas*, and reds are fairly safe broad classifications, there 
is no absolute discontinuity when we come to deal with individual instances. 
In the present experiments the observations were all made on the first or 
apical flower. They had to be made while the plant was in blossom. The seed of 
the apical capsule observed was taken and marked with the new pedigree number. 
A second and sometimes a third bud on the same plant was enclosed in a bag of 
very fine bolting cloth, or for about half the experiments in oiled paper bags 
obtained from Cologne. These were invariably used in the second year's experi- 
ments. The advantages of the bolting cloth bag are the free admission of air and 
light, but it becomes heavy izi rainy weather and much damage was done in the 
wet season of 1903. It is possible that very minute insects may occasionally 
penetrate it, but the risk here is not much greater than with paper bags, however 
carefully they are tied round the stem. In the spring of 1903 series of 100 
packets of pedigree seed were issued to a number of cooperators. Each of these 
packets contained seed from one plant only, and the ultimate origin of the seed 
was the 1899 Hampden crop of Pearson, although there had been several inter- 
vening generations. In the spring of 1904 series of 100 packets of apical capsule 
seeds of 1903 and of 50 packets of bagged capsule seeds of 1903 were issued, and 
the same process was followed of collecting the seed of the apical capsules and of 
a secondary bagged capsule. To test fertility the seed in the free and bagged 
capsules was merely examined after gathering and not again sown. 
The following are the 1903 crops : 
(A) Parkstone Crop. This was grown and observed by H. Blanchard. The 
crop was sown on May 13th, the first seedlings were observed on the 20th, and the 
thinning took place between June 13 and 15. Of the 100 packets of single 
capsule seed provided all produced plants and in most cases more than sufficient 
plants to get 10 siblings. In one case only one seed and in a second three seeds 
alone germinatedf. But the observer was able to deal with nearly 1000 individual 
plants. The weather was extremely unfavourable during the harvesting and much 
harm was done to the bagged capsules. Tabulation and calculations by Alice 
Lee, D.Sc. 
(B) Arncliffe Crop. This was grown and observed by the Rev. W. A. 
Shuft'ry, and 50 packets of seed were sown on May 30; first seedlings observed 
June 10, thinned July 13 and 20. Second series of 50 sown June 18, first seed- 
* In the original Hampden Shirley Poppies the terra-cotta was extremely rare, if it occurred at 
all. It is still scarce, but is creeping,' up in numbers, and may ultimately need a special class. As 
meanwhile it is being introduced commercially, we cannot say whether it is a natural evolution or has 
been introduced by cross-fertilisation into our crops. 
t One of these plants also gave a distorted apical capsule with a " stigmatic labyrinth" instead 
of bands. 
