82 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
rubra and speciosa, or any of its varieties, not one but has dege¬ 
nerated into something worse than the coarsest blue of speciosa , 
without a tinge of the bright colour of its other parent. It may 
be imagined that in many instances, the proper cross-impreg¬ 
nation was not effected, and that therefore the plants raised 
were no more than seedlings of one parent; such, indeed, may 
have been the case with several, but we are aware of instances 
in which proof was given to the contrary, by the seed-vessel 
swelling to an unusual size — nearly twice that of others which 
were not artificially fertilised; still the results were the same. 
However, all astonishment at this perverse stubbornness must 
cease, when we find that rubra is itself but a variety of spe¬ 
ciosa, which is positively proved by its own seed producing blue 
varieties; not that this is a definite cause of the non-production 
of hybrids — for there are many instances in which varieties of 
the same species hybridise freely—but by some peculiar charac¬ 
teristic these two will not mix, and therefore, in continuing the 
attempt to obtain cross-bred Gloxinias, it will be necessary to 
select some other well-defined species to supply the parent 
place hitherto occupied by speciosa. Perhaps something desir¬ 
able may occur by substituting caulescens or hirsuta: this last, 
indeed, appears a very desirable species, as a combination of its 
singular hairy foliage and pale purple flowers with the widely 
different aspect of rubra , must produce something at once novel 
and interesting ; indeed, we think this intermixture more pro¬ 
mising than any other, and it shall have our best attention in 
the ensuing season. 
We have on several occasions promised to give an idea of the 
mode of effecting artificial impregnation, and as the season for 
such operations is at hand, we cannot have a better time to 
redeem our promise: to the practised cultivator it will of 
course be unnecessary, but we trust he will excuse the repe¬ 
tition on remembering his own first attempt. It is with the 
sexual organs alone of the plant that the h^bridiser has to deal; 
these, on examination, will be found to consist of two kinds — the 
stamens or male organs, and the style or female organ; on the 
points of the stamens will be found the anthers, containing the 
pollen or fructifying dust; this, by being conveyed from one 
flower and applied to the stigma (situate on the top of the style) 
of another, produces cross-bred seed. To perform the operation 
in a sure manner, the flower intended to bear the seed should 
