m 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 5, 1899. 
Passiflora hybrid, due to over-vigorousness of 
growth. This was the reason, he thought, why 
hybrids were useless for operating with until some 
time after their introduction. Other crosses among 
the Passion-flowers made by Dr. Wilson are P. 
alba with P. Buonopartea; P. alba and P. Constance 
Elliot ; and P. alba with P. edulis. In the latter 
cross there was a tendency to yellow variegation 
which he did not like. It had the effect of weaken¬ 
ing the strain. 
His work with the Albucas, a race of Cape 
liliaceous bulbs, had given him some interesting 
results. He showed a plant of A. corymbosa, and 
another of A. prolifera, two so unlike in shape of 
bulb and flowers that to unite the two would, we 
might think, place a problem before the bearing 
plant as to what production should emanate. A. 
corymbosa has a great massive bulb, while A. pro¬ 
lifera has a small bulb bearing around it a profusion 
of very tiny ones. But the resulting hybrid was a 
very nice medium bulb, having a very nice balance 
of both parents in it. Further, when this hybrid 
was crossed with A. prolifera it gave back the 
monstrous bulb of A. corymbosa, but with also an 
enormous amount of small bulbils fixed upon the 
top of it. Dr. Wilson also showed a bulb with the 
" blood " of five distinct species in it, and each one 
was clearly traceable. In crossing a large bulbed 
form with a small bulb he got distinctness thus far, 
that half were like the mother, and half like the 
male. The intermediate positions of the flower 
stalks and manner of opening were next discussed. 
Drooping-flowered species hybridised with erect 
sorts produced a plant whose inflorescence was held 
in an oblique posture. The differences in the nature 
of the flowers was clearly evident. A case contrary 
to the rule, however, was found in A. minor, a small 
drooping species crossed with A. prolifera, which is 
erect, the hybrid being also perfectly upright. The 
plants having the mixture of five species were per¬ 
fectly healthy, flowering freely and having good 
seeds. 
The microscopical study of parts, as the edge of 
the leaf, the under and upper sides of the same and 
parts of the flower had all received Dr. Wilson’s 
close study and from the lantern illustrations the 
various lengths, breadths, forms, &c., of the marginal 
hairs and other parts of the different parents, and 
then of the hybrids, were distinctly different; and 
clearly these are characters worthy of attention. The 
fact, said the Dr., that these are single cells, and as 
such varying so much, shows that the microscopical 
study of the internal mophology and physiological 
changes is one of the phases in hybridisation 
which has been too seldom thought of. 
The Gooseberry-Black-Currant cross was also very 
fully noticed. Among the Begonias differences are 
becoming apparent. Most remarkable in the hardy 
tuberous class is the fact of the stems becoming 
thickened and fleshy, and being more or less 
perennial from crossing these with B. coccinea, thus 
in a large measure takiog the place of the tuber 
itself. In these cases too, the lower leaves remain a 
long time before dropping. Hybrids have been got 
from B. semperflorens and B. fuchsioides. 
Hybridisation viewed from the Standpoint of 
Systematic Botany. 
R. Allen Rolfe, Esq., A.L.S., Kew, prepared a paper 
on this subject, but time preventing the reading of it, 
he made some remarks to explain his views embodied 
in the same. He said that both in the past and at 
present, the labours of the hybridists were unsavoury 
to the systematists because of the breaking up and 
confusing of their classification. But it had made 
great advances and artificial classification cannot 
stand against natural law and order. About natural 
hybrids, which, said Mr. Rolfe, many systematists 
refuse to accept but try to explain, it was shown that 
from crossing the supposed parents of the natural 
hybrids, the suppositions have in several cases been 
substantially proved. Cases of this kind exist in 
Geum, Salix, Hieracium, Rubus, Epilobium, 
Narcissus, Tragopogon, Digitalis, the hybrid Oxlip r 
two Sarracenias, besides other plants, and about 
twelve Orchids. In Hieracium, some species had 
been described as new which had no claim whatever 
to the title. 
Again, other authors had described a number of 
natural hybrids, combining the characters of others, 
with which they grew, and at least four combina¬ 
tions had been linked together from distinct species. 
and one hybrid of which did duty in botanical 
works under as many as eleven false names. In 
other different instances, what had proved to be one 
variable hybrid had originally been described not as 
one, but as several species. Plants would some 
time or other fall more easily into position, but at 
present many of those coming from hybridisation 
could neither be described nor classified as varieties 
or species. It but requires experiment to clear up 
the doubtful origin of the intermediate forms. 
Hybrid Poppies. 
Monsieur Henry de Vilmorin, F.R.H.S .Verrieres, 
France, gave a short account of how he raised a 
strain of " perpetual ” flowering Poppies with a 
much greater abundance of bloom, and of better 
quality individually, by hybridising between the 
perennial P. bracteatum and the common wild P, 
somniferum. His results were clearly shown 
by water-colour paintings. The first cross in which 
P. somniferum was the pollen parent gave no great 
results save in deeper colour and greater develop¬ 
ment of the leaves, but by crossing the hybrid with 
P. orientale (said to include P. bracteatum; this gave 
better results and now by five years’ selection the 
single and double forms are remarkably fine. 
Discussion at the Conference. 
After M. Henry de Vilmorin’s address had been 
given there was still some time left at disposal, and 
as no representative for the other papers, which were 
on the list, was present, the meeting took the form of 
a general discussion. Professor Henslow, as chair¬ 
man, opened with a few remarks on the conference 
as a whole, and touched upon the histological study 
he had given to the hybrid greenhouse Rhododen¬ 
drons of Messrs. Veitch. From his observations 
among them he was able to corroborate Dr. Wilson’s 
remark that in secondary hybrids the characters of 
ancestral species would be difficult to trace. With 
hybrids got from species of different morphological 
conformation, such as might be the outcome of 
adaptation to climate for instance, the task of pick¬ 
ing out specific points which were not found to exist 
in the hybrid Rhododendrons, might be made 
possible because of the much pronounced characters. 
Mr. Burbidge raised the question of Latin names, 
and whether it would not be proper to disallow them 
to hybrids. In the old days raisers gave Latin 
names to varieties of their Fuchsias, Calceolarias, 
and Pelargoniums, which to-day make our records 
confusing. In some cases it was mentioned that 
classic names were purposely adopted to hide the 
origin of the hybrids. The idea was a good one 
which led Dr. Masters and Sir Michael Foster to 
unite the generic names of two parents, as in Laelio- 
cattleya ; or the specific names of the parents of a 
hybrid as Iris monspuria, the result obtained from 
I. Monnieri and I. spuria. Mr. Burbidge thought 
that the conference should not be allowed to close 
without some rule anent this subject such as was 
passed at the Narcissus conference where “ all 
garden plants, including hybrids and seedlings,” 
were only to have English Dames. 
The Rev. G. H. Engleheart wanted to have all 
possible information relating to plant hybridisation 
collected and published in book form. It was a 
wearying business when one had to search through 
volumes of gardening periodicals, &c. The best 
information possible should be obtained on the ferti¬ 
lising of various plants. When he first undertook 
the improvement of the Narcissus he had been 
recommended to tie up the trumpets of his flowers, 
and he did so, with the result that he got little or no 
seed. Of course, it may be necessary to protect 
blooms after fertilisation, but they should after 
all have freedom to light and air. And we must 
keep changing our stocks, too. Mr. Engleheart 
either buys new bulbs for the continuance of his 
hybridising work, or secures the pollen from the 
plants of his friends about him ; so that nothing 
like inbreeding can ever take place. The question of 
patenting new and worthy plants to insure an inter¬ 
est in, and return from, the sale of such plants by 
the introducer was here brought up. The reason 
which Mr. Engleheart pointed out as argument for 
his case was that if a grower, after long work and, 
no doubt, expense, introduced,say, a high-class Peach 
or other fruit tree or plant, and then soon after this 
from unforeseen causes, and from no other fault of 
his own had to sell the meagre stock of his valuable 
plant at whatever figure he obtained, thenceforth he 
no longer could hope to receive returns, which 
anyone will admit, he deserved to obtain. So for 
this, as well as for protection in ordinary trading, the 
securing of a copyright he thought very desirable. 
Mr. George Paul was also very eloquent upon the 
same subject. He had debated these points over 
and over again with many commercial horticulturists, 
and he concluded that legislature ought to be intro¬ 
duced in this connection. 
Mr. Bunyard of Maidstone, in a few words had 
the subject in his own hands. He said he was not 
a scientist, nor a botanist, but he was a commercial 
man. He could not see where the need for patenting 
plants could be exp'ained by horticultural traders. 
It seemed the simplest thing in the world to say, 
when he had raised a valuable fruit-tree, I want to 
make a hundred pounds out of this. It was just a 
matter of calculation, so many trees at five shillings 
apiece will fetch so much, then the next step was 
the raising of a sufficient stock, and of taking care 
not to sell until a large enough quantity had been 
brought up. He had told Mr. Rivers very plainly 
that he had actually given away many of his fine 
varieties of fruit-trees, for Mr. Bunyard had in many 
cases, with the aid of his men, raised a bigger stock 
of the variety than Mr. Rivers had himself. But he 
(Mr. Bunyard) had paid the price asked, and done 
the best he could with what he had secured. His 
strongest point against the appeal for legislation was 
that law would be useless to prevent pilfering ; or it 
might be that prunings would be concientiously 
thrown upon the rubbish heap, but someone else 
might give them away, and as many cuttings or buds 
as there were, would be raised as stock by those who 
had not paid for the privilege. The simplest solu¬ 
tion was to demand a high price at first. 
Mr. Willet Hays, of the United States, pointed 
out that the work of the experiment stations helped 
the raisers of plants by testing them for them in 
various parts of the country. He hoped that the 
idea of another Conference on this subject would not 
be dropped, and that a centre, either in France, 
Germany, or America, might possibly be fixed 
upon. 
Mr. W. Cuthbertson, of Rothesay, offered seeds to 
anyone for scientific purposes, of a hybrid between 
an Aquilegia and Clematis montaoa, raised by Mr. 
E. J. Lowe. Mr. Cuthbertson had also flowered 
another of Mr. Lowe’s hybrids, that between a Sun¬ 
flower and Dahlia, but did not care enough for it to 
continue its growth. 
Dr. Masters then went on the platform, and said 
a few words before the conclusion of the Conference. 
He said they had done much work in the two short 
days. The programme showed a rich variety, and 
that variety had been extended even to the limits of 
copyright in plants. (Laughter.) There had been a 
good deal said about the different views or desires of 
hybridists, and systematists, and of obtaining a 
better understanding between them, and he thought 
this was very easily accomplished — they only 
needed to " cross ” and the thing was done. 
(Laughter and applause.) 
-- 
ANNUAL TROPAEOLUMS. 
Very many Tropaeolums of the perennial fibrous or 
tuberous rooted species are lovely to a h'gh degree, 
and fortunately receive a goodly patronage. The 
annual Tropaeolums (Nasturtium) are so beautiful 
and withal so easy to succeed with that they too are 
known everywhere. It is not therefore to advocate 
their adoption that this note is penned but rather to 
draw the reader's attention to their effect when 
massed in great beds. In small clumps or even 
broad lines singly, their full gorgeousness has not 
fair play. One might sit and gaze at their bright 
colours and variously hued, rounded peltate foliage 
for half a summer’s day without tiring ; for somehow 
their exceeding brilliancy does not satiate one, rather 
is it continuously pleasant. Then there are the bees, 
an J all the flies, and the glinting sun and the structure 
of the flowers together with the thoughts imagin¬ 
ative,which such living stretches of the warm colours, 
the yellows and scarlets and crimsons, kindle within 
one, all these things are seen in the masses of these 
soft annuals. They more or less all belong to the 
warmer limits of the temperate zone but are never 
really tropical. They will grow in any kind of soil, 
and where the majus section is used to clothe a wall or 
fence the minus types should be grouped along the 
base of the taller ones. A half shady position suits 
them very well, but it will be found that their greatest 
depth of colour and fioriferousness come when 
exposed to a lot of sun. 
