50  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  July  20,  1899. 
Mr.  Webber  concluded  by  giving  a  number  of  figures  referring  to 
the  various  crosses. 
In  the  short  discussion  that  followed  the  delivery  of  the  lecture 
questions  were  asked  by  Mr.  C.  C.  Hurst,  Mr.  Bateson,  and  the 
Chairman,  and  satisfactorily  replied  to  by  Mr.  Webber. 
The  Microscopic  Structure  of  Some  Hybrids. 
The  microscopic  study  of  primary  hybrids  is  puzzling  enough,  but 
1  eromes  infinitely  more  so  when  four  or  five  distinct  species  are 
embodied  in  a  particular  plant  as  the  result  of  reiterated  crossing. 
Any  lecture  dealing  with  microscopical  structure  must  perforce  be 
technical,  and  so  Scotland  had  confided  the  task  to  one  of  her  most 
level-headed  botanists,  Dr.  J.  II.  Wilson,  F.R.S.E.,  of  St.  Andrews, 
bor  fully  an  hour  Dr.  Wilson  spoke  of  the  minute  differences  that  the 
microscope  brought  to  light  in  the  hybrid  progeny.  No  variation  was 
too  slight  to  be  noticed  by  the  Doctor’s  keen  eyes,  and  he  was  assisted 
in  his  task  of  pointing  cut  to  the  meeting  some  of  these  minute 
differences,  which  mean  so  much,  by  a  lengthy  series  of  excellent 
slides.  Several  representative  genera  were  chosen,  and  a  wealth  of 
detail  was  given  concerning  them. 
I  he  Passifloras  were  taken  first,  and  it  was  shown  how  the  simple¬ 
leaved  P.  Buonapartea,  and  the  five-lobed  leaved  P.  coerulea  gave  rise 
to  a  hybrid  with  three-lobed  leaves.  P.  Buonapartea,  it  was  mentioned 
in  passing,  was  itself  a  hybrid,  having  been  called  into  existence  by 
the  union  of  P.  triangularis  and  P.  alata.  The  flowers  of  parents  and 
hybrids  were  shown  entire  and  in  section,  and  attention  was  called  to 
the  marvellous  development  of  the  corona  filaments.  Pasfffioras 
would  not  set  seed  to  their  own  pollen,  but  would  seed  very  readily  to  the 
pollen  of  another  species.  Speaking  of  failures,  he  said  that  these 
often  occurred  where  first  flowers  were  being  dealt  with,  for  they 
seemed  to  be  too  well  nourished  to  give  the  best  results,  and  later 
flowers  often  did  very  much  better.  A  cross  between  the  trifoliate 
I  .  alba  and  P.  Buonapartea  ought,  following  precedent,  to  have  yielded 
a  two-lobed  leaf,  but  instead  of  that  the  leaves  were  trifoliate. 
1  .  alba  X  P.  coerulea  Constance  Elliott  had  produced  a  plant  with 
trifoliate  leaves.  The  leaves  of 'the  hybrid  between  P.  alba  and 
1  .  edulis  showed  a  great  tendency  to  yellow7  variegation. 
I  he  genus  Albuca,  which.  is  a  close  relative  of  the  better-known 
one  of  Ornithogalum,  next  came  in  for  discussion.  A.  prolifera, 
A.  caudata,  A.  Nelsoni,  A.  fastigiata,  A.  corymbosa,  and  A.  tricophylla 
had  all  been  used,  and,  judging  from  the  mass  of  details  presented, 
Dr.  v\  ilson  had  spent  no  small  portion  of  his  time  in  crossing  and 
recrossing  these  species.  Some  of  the  ultimate  hybrids  represented  five 
species,  and  yet  the  plants  were  healthy  and  bore  seeds  fairly  well. 
Numerous  illustrations  appeared  upon  the  screen  of  all  parts  of  the 
plants  leaves,  bulbs,  and  flowers — in  longitudinal  and  transverse 
sections.  Particular  attention  was  directed  to  the  varying  shape  of 
t  ie  haiis,  and  the  influence  of  tl  e  parentage  of  A.  tricophylla  was  most 
marked  in  this  respect.  In  some  of  these  minute  hairs  the  basal  part 
appeared  to  belong  to  one  parent  and  the  terminal  portion  to  another. 
Ihis  question  of  the  morphology  of  hairs  led  Dr.  Wilson  to  make  the 
statement  that  it  was  to  the  nuclei  of  simple  cells  that  we  should  have 
to  look  for  the  ultimate  elucidation  of  many  problems  that  now  appear 
to  be  unanswerable. 
Ihe  lamous  cross  between  the  Gooseberry  and  the  Black  Currant 
was  next  dealt  with,  leaves  of  both  parents  being  shown  and  the  truly 
intermediate  character  of  the  hybrid  commented  on.  The  “  cross  ” 
was  furthermore  found  to  possess  no  traces  of  the  strong,  essential  oil 
that  characterised  the  Black  Currant.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting 
illustrations  of  all  were  those  given  of  the  hybrids  between  the  tuberous 
Begonia,  B.  coccinen,  and  B.  corallina.  The  leaves  of  the  hybrids  were 
found  to  be  thickly  spotted  with  silvery  spots  like  those  of  the  fibrous 
rooted  sjecies.  The  vegetative  growth  was  remarkable,  for  while  all 
sorts  of  intermediate  stages  were  to  be  seen,  most  of  the  plants  on  going 
to  rest  in  the  winter  did  not  die  right  dowD,but  portions  of  their  stems 
snapped  oft  joint  by  joint,  leaving  a  perfectly  healthy  scar,  like  that 
caused  by  a  falling  leaf.  Tubers  were  likewise  developed  at  the  base 
ol  the  stems  just  above  the  ground.  B.  semperflorens  and  B.  fuchsioides 
had  also  been  successfully  crossed. 
Deferences  were  likewise  made  to  hybrids  between  Centaurea 
ragusina,  C.  candidissima,  and  C.  scabiosa,  and  between  Abutilon 
megapotamicum  and  a  variety  of  A.  Darwini. 
Hybridisation  Viewed  from  the  Standpoint  of  Systematic 
Botany. 
So  many  allusions  had  been  made  to  the  trouble  caused  to  the 
systematic  botanist  by  the  way  in  which  the  hybridist  was  continually7 
upsetting  his  classification,  that  Mr.  R.  E.  Rolfe’s  paper  upon  the 
subject  was  eagerly  looked  for,  and  people  settled  themselves  comfort¬ 
ably  in  their  seats  as  that  gentleman  mounted  the  platform.  Mr. 
holfe  did  not,  however,  read  his  paper  in  exte?iso,  but  contented  himself 
by  giving  a  brief  digest  of  the  line  he  had  taken.  Surprise  was 
expressed  in  some  quarters  when  the  lecturer  proceeded  to  make  out  a 
strong  case  for  the  hybridist.  If  hybrids  did  not  exist  in  nature,  said 
he,  then  the  systematist  would  have  been  justified  in  complaining  at 
the  way  in  which  generic  distinctions  had  been  broken  up.  Natural 
hybrids  undoubtedly  did  exist,  however,  and  they  were,  in  fact,  quite 
common  among  the  Salixes,  the  Hieraciums,  and  the  Rubuses.  Some 
of  these  hybrids  had  been  described  by  botanists  as  new  species,  but 
that  they  were  really  hybrids  had  been  proved  by  the  way  in  which 
they  had  been  artificially  reconstructed.  He  bad  drawn  up  a  list  in  his 
paper  of  natural  hybrids  that  had  been  reconstructed  in  this  way. 
These  included  nine  Salixes,  several  Hieraciums,  and  twenty-two 
Rubuses,  but  unfortunately  no  Roses.  Some  of  these  hvbrids  were 
sterile,  but  many  were  fertile.  In  the  genera  Rubus  and  Iiieracium 
botanists  were  continually  differing  as  to  whether  certain  plants  were 
true  species  or  not.  Some  of  th<se  plants  of  uncertain  status  had 
probably  arisen  by  polymorphism  of  good  species,  and  others  were  of 
hybrid  origin. 
Mr.  Hurst  had  told  them  on  the  previous  day  that  instead  of  the 
hybridist  having  a  confusing  influence  upon  the  classification  of  plants, 
the  systematist  would  have  to  goto  the  hybridist  to  clear  up  many  of 
his  difficulties,  and  as  a  systematist  himself  Mr.  Rolfe  thought  Mr. 
Hurst  was  right. 
Hybrid  Poppies. 
Monsieur  Henri  de  Vilmorin  received  quite  an  ovation  as  he 
appeared  on  the  platform  with  a  sheaf  of  dried  and  mounted  specimens 
of  the  hybrid  Poppies  he  was  going  to  speak  about.  The  parent  plants 
involved  in  the  first  cross  were  Papaver  bracteatum,  a  form  of  the 
perennial  P.  orientale,  and  the  annual  P.  somniferum,  the  Opium 
Poppy.  The  cross  between  the  two  had  been  tried  repeatedly,  and 
invariably  succeeded,  but  the  plants,  although  they  bloomed  very 
freely,  would  set  no  seed.  The  first  hybrids  all  had  scarlet  flowers 
with  a  black  blotch  at  the  base  of  each  segment,  and  the  plants 
were  taller  and  more  vigorous  than  either  of  the  parents.  .  On  sowing 
the  second  year  with  the  original  seed  plants  bearing  flowers  laciniated 
petals  first  appeared,  then  came  paler  flowers,  still  single  and  still 
blotched,  and  then  last  of  all  the  double  flowers.  For  the  last  four  or  five 
years  selection  had  been  carefully  carried  on,  and  now  the  double  race 
came  fairly  true  from  seed.  P.  orientale  was  next  crossed  with  the 
hybrid,  which,  of  course,  brought  the  progeny  much  nearer  to 
P.  orientale.  The  plants  began  to  throw  up  new  stems  from  the 
ground  as  the  old  ones  flowered  out,  and  the  ultimate  result  was  a 
perpetual  flowering  Poppy.  The  primary  hybrids  were  annual,  but 
the  compound  hybrids  were  perennial,  although  they  were  a  little 
tender. 
There  were  papers  from  Monsieur  Lemoine,  Mr.  Luther  Burbank, 
and  Mr.  T.  Francis  Rivers,  but  as  none  of  these  gentlemen  was 
present,  and  there  yet  remained  half  an  hour  to  spare,  the  meeting 
was  throwm  open  to  the  general  discussion  of  any  points  that  had 
either  been  missed  or  seemed  to  require  further  elaboration.  The 
meeting  evas  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  Chairman’s  invitation. 
Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge  spoke  of  the  trouble  that  had  been  caused  in 
the  naming  of  hybrids  where  the  Latin  language  had  been  employed, 
and  he  expressed  the  opinion  that  Latinical  names  should  no  longer  be 
given  to  garden  plants,  including  hybrids.  A  compromise  had  been 
effected  that  had  so  far  answered  fairly  well,  such  as  Laelio-Cattleya 
for  the  offspring  of  Laelia  and  Oattieya,  and  Philageria  for  the  cross 
between  Pbiiesia  and  Lapageria,  but  the  names  were  clumsy,  and  it 
would  be  impossible  to  carry  out  the  system  when  three  or  four 
species  were  embodied  in  one  plant. 
The  Rev.  Geo.  Engleheart  brought  up  a  number  of  practical  points. 
He  thought  a  handbook  was  wanted,  wherein  the  would-be  hybridist 
couid  find  the  information  he  required.  Some  of  the  so-called 
information  that  appeared  in  books  was  misleading,  as  for  instance 
where  the  crosser  of  Daffodils  was  advised  to  tie  up  the  mouths  of  the 
trumpets  to  exclude  the  insects.  He  did  this  once,  and  found  he  got 
no  seed.  He  suggested,  too.  that  it  should  be  possible  for  the  raiser  of 
a  new7  plant  to  ‘have  some  sort  of  patent  rights  over  his  plants,  in 
order  to  insure  an  adequate  reward  for  his  labour. 
In  this  Mr.  Geo.  Paul  fully  concurred,  and  instanced  the  case  of 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  which,  wdiile  it  was  now  grown  everywhere,  had 
not  returned  a  penny  to  its  raiser.  He  should  like  to  see  the  raiser  of 
a  new  plant  get  two,  three,  or  four  years’  right  of  production,  plus  the 
right  to  grant  to  other  people  permit  to  propagate. 
Mr.  Geo.  Bunyard  hastened  to  express  his  disagreement.  It 
remained,  he  said,  for  the  person  who  raised  a  plant  to  sell  it  at  his 
own  price  ;  and  he  advised  the  plan  of  taking  orders  for  novelties,  but 
not  selling  until  sufficient  orders  had  been  booked  to  yield  a  fair 
return. 
Dr.  Masters  and  Mr.  Cuthbertson  took  part  in  the  discussion,  the 
latter  gentleman  speaking  of  hybrids  that  he  possessed  between 
Aquilegia  and  Clematis,  and  of  which  he  offered  to  send  seed  for  trial 
to  those  interested. 
Professor  Henslow  proposed  that  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  given 
to  all  those  who  had  contributed  papers,  especially  to  their  foreign 
guests,  and  this  being  duly  ratified,  the  business  proceedings  of  the 
Conference  terminated. 
