266 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
As numerous irregular flowers have stamens of different 
lengths, this experience opens out a new field for experiments 
with Labiate, Scrophularineae, Leguminosae, &c. 
M. Verlot observes that when plants are cut back early to 
make dwarf plants of them, though it may usually only affect 
the individual plant, yet he thinks that if it be habitually sub¬ 
mitted to this treatment, the seeds are subsequently more likely 
to give rise to dwarf plants. 
As an illustration, the writer has lately had occasion to notice 
a tennis lawn, part of which was returfed from a field last 
winter. The whole has been left to grow uncut. The result is 
that while the new turf rapidly grew tall, as it would have done 
in the field if left for hay, the old lawn-turf and other flowering 
plants mixed with the grass have remained more or less in a 
much dwarfer condition. 
Similarly, Mr. Yeitch found that cuttings from the miniature 
trees made by the Japanese and struck in a border refuse to 
grow. If, however, they be grafted on other and vigorous plants 
of the same kind, they then grow out vigorously. It would be 
interesting to see if seeds of such tiny trees produce dwarfs 
also. 
It would seem, therefore, probable that whatever causes tend 
to check growth, if persisted in long enough , may in time have 
an hereditary effect. 
It would be therefore advisable to try experiments besides the 
repeated pricking out alluded to :—(1) Reducing the roots ; (2) 
reducing the foliage; (3) cutting off the terminal shoots; (4) 
selecting small seeds ; (5) crossing with pollen from the smaller 
stamens, wherever there is an inequality ; (6) using pollen from 
the smallest flowers on the plant; (7) poor soil. 
Double Flowers .—These result from various alterations in 
the structure of flowers, coupled with an increase in the number 
of petals. The question is, what are the causes which induce 
the production of double flowers ? M. Verlot observes : “ A 
rich soil, a culture inducing a luxuriant vegetation, are those 
under the influence of which we see duplication generally to 
arise in our gardens.” 
On the other hand, Mr. Barron observed that: “Double 
flowers growing on a sandy soil at Sutton keep truer to doubling 
than on a wet, heavier soil at Chiswick.” Mr. Wolley Dod 
