A 0 in the table signifies that the seedling died before it was measured; and a + signifies that the plant did not produce a flower-stem, and therefore was not measured. It deserves notice that no less than eight out of the eighteen self-fertilised plants either died or did not flower; whereas only three out of the eighteen intercrossed, and four out of the twenty London-crossed plants, were in this predicament. The self-fertilised plants had a decidedly less vigorous appearance than the plants of the other two lots, their leaves being smaller and narrower. In only one pot did a self-fertilised plant flower before one of the two kinds of crossed plants, between which there was no marked difference in the period of flowering. The plants were measured to the base of the calyx, after they had completed their growth, late in the autumn.
TABLE 4/47. Dianthus caryophyllus.
Heights of plants to the base of the calyx, measured in inches.
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: London-Crossed Plants.
Column 3: Intercrossed Plants.
Column 4: Self-fertilised Plants.
Pot 1 : 39 5/8 : 25 1/8 : 29 2/8. Pot 1 : 30 7/8 : 21 6/8 : +.
Pot 2 : 36 2/8 : : 22 3/8. Pot 2 : 0 : : +.
Pot 3 : 28 5/8 : 30 2/8 : . Pot 3 : + : 23 1/8 : .
Pot 4 : 33 4/8 : 35 5/8 : 30. Pot 4 : 28 7/8 : 32 : 24 4/8.
Pot 5 : 28 : 34 4/8 : +. Pot 5 : 0 : 24 2/8 : +.
Pot 6 : 32 5/8 : 24 7/8 : 30 3/8. Pot 6 : 31 : 26 : 24 4/8.
Pot 7 : 41 7/8 : 29 7/8 : 27 7/8. Pot 7 : 34 7/8 : 26 4/8 : 27.
Pot 8 : 34 5/8 : 29 : 26 6/8. Pot 8 : 28 5/8 : 0 : +.
Pot 9 : 25 5/8 : 28 5/8 : +. Pot 9 : 0 : + : 0.
Pot 10 : 38 : 28 4/8 : 22 7/8. Pot 10 : 32 1/8 : + : 0.
Total : 525.13 : 420.00 : 265.50.
The average height of the sixteen London-crossed plants in Table 4/47 is 32.82 inches; that of the fifteen intercrossed plants, 28 inches; and that of the ten self-fertilised plants, 26.55.
So that in height we have the following ratios:--
The London-crossed to the self-fertilised as 100 to 81.
The London-crossed to the intercrossed as 100 to 85.
The intercrossed to the self-fertilised as 100 to 95.
These three lots of plants, which it should be remembered were all derived on the mother-side from plants of the third self-fertilised generation, fertilised in three different ways, were left exposed to the visits of insects, and their flowers were freely crossed by them. As the capsules of each lot became ripe they were gathered and kept separate, the empty or bad ones being thrown away. But towards the middle of October, when the capsules could no longer ripen, all were gathered and were counted, whether good or bad. The capsules were then crushed, and the seed cleaned by sieves and weighed. For the sake of uniformity the results are given from calculation, as if there had been twenty plants in each lot.
The sixteen London-crossed plants actually produced 286 capsules; therefore twenty such plants would have produced 357.5 capsules; and from the actual weight of the seeds, the twenty plants would have yielded 462 grains weight of seeds.
The fifteen intercrossed plants actually produced 157 capsules; therefore twenty of them would have produced 209.3 capsules and the seeds would have weighed 208.48 grains.
The ten self-fertilised plants actually produced 70 capsules, therefore twenty of them would have produced 140 capsules; and the seeds would have weighed 153.2 grains.
From these data we get the following ratios:--
NUMBER OF CAPSULES PRODUCED BY AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PLANTS OF THE THREE LOTS.
NUMBER OF CAPSULES:
The London-crossed to the self-fertilised as 100 to 39.
The London-crossed to the intercrossed as 100 to 45.
The intercrossed to the self-fertilised as 100 to 67.
WEIGHT OF SEEDS PRODUCED BY AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PLANTS OF THE THREE LOTS.
WEIGHT OF SEED:
The London-crossed to the self-fertilised as 100 to 33.