These plants were left uncovered in the greenhouse to set their pods, but they produced very few good ones, perhaps in part owing to few bees visiting them. The crossed plants produced nine pods, containing on an average 3.4 seeds, and the self-fertilised plants seven pods, containing on an average 3 seeds, so that the seeds from an equal number of plants were as 100 to 88.

Two other crossed seedlings, each with two self-fertilised seedlings on the opposite sides of the same large pot, were turned out of their pots early in the season, without being disturbed, into open ground of good quality. They were thus subjected to but little competition with one another, in comparison with the plants in the above three pots. In the autumn the two crossed plants were about 3 inches taller than the four self-fertilised plants; they looked also more vigorous and produced many more pods.

Two other crossed and self-fertilised seeds of the same lot, after germinating on sand, were planted on the opposite sides of a large pot, in which a Calceolaria had long been growing, and were therefore exposed to unfavourable conditions: the two crossed plants ultimately attained a height of 20 1/2 and 20 inches, whilst the two self-fertilised were only 18 and 9 1/2 inches high.

Lupinus pilosus.

From a series of accidents I was again unfortunate in obtaining a sufficient number of crossed seedlings; and the following results would not be worth giving, did they not strictly accord with those just given with respect to Lupinus luteus. I raised at first only a single crossed seedling, which was placed in competition with two self-fertilised ones on the opposite side of the same pot. These plants, without being disturbed, were soon afterwards turned into the open ground. By the autumn the crossed plant had grown to so large a size that it almost smothered the two self-fertilised plants, which were mere dwarfs; and the latter died without maturing a single pod. Several self-fertilised seeds had been planted at the same time separately in the open ground; and the two tallest of these were 33 and 32 inches, whereas the one crossed plant was 38 inches in height. This latter plant also produced many more pods than did any one of the self-fertilised plants, although growing separately. A few flowers on the one crossed plant were crossed with pollen from one of the self-fertilised plants, for I had no other crossed plant from which to obtain pollen. One of the self-fertilised plants having been covered by a net produced plenty of spontaneously self-fertilised pods.

CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS OF THE SECOND GENERATION.

From crossed and self-fertilised seeds obtained in the manner just described, I succeeded in raising to maturity only a pair of plants, which were kept in a pot in the greenhouse. The crossed plant grew to a height of 33 inches, and the self-fertilised to that of 26 1/2 inches. The former produced, whilst still kept in the greenhouse, eight pods, containing on an average 2.77 seeds; and the latter only two pods, containing on an average 2.5 seeds. The average height of the two crossed plants of the two generations taken together was 35.5, and that of the three self-fertilised plants of the same two generations 30.5; or as 100 to 86. (5/3. We here see that both Lupinus luteus and pilosus seed freely when insects are excluded; but Mr. Swale, of Christchurch, in New Zealand, informs me 'Gardeners' Chronicle' 1858 page 828, that the garden varieties of the lupine are not there visited by any bees, and that they seed less freely than any other introduced leguminous plant, with the exception of red clover. He adds "I have, for amusement, during the summer, released the stamens with a pin, and a pod of seed has always rewarded me for my trouble, the adjoining flowers not so served having all proved blind." I do not know to what species this statement refers.)

Phaseolus multiflorus.

This plant, the scarlet-runner of English gardeners and the Phaseolus coccineus of Lamarck, originally came from Mexico, as I am informed by Mr.

Charles Darwin

All Pages of This Book