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Show CHAP. IV. RESEDA ODORATA. 122 n did the plants of the far mar profit more froi? a cross, t~he above two lots of crossed and self-fertile English stock. 1 nt of R eseda odorata, after self-fertilised see d s from .t he same P a f fi t 1 t d on opposite sides o ve po s, germinating on sand, were pan e 'th the following result :- and measured as in the last case, WI . TABLE XXXIX. . R d d rata ( seedl,ings from a semi-self-steri le P lant). 1ese a o o Crosseu Plants. Self-fertilised Plants. No. of Pot. -- ------- - Inches. Inches. R1 I. 33a 28 3 0 ~ 2 9 ~ 1 3~ 20 3~ - - - 22 21 ~ II. 33~ 2G~ 3 1 ~ 25 ~ 3 2~ 30 ~ - - -- -~ - 17 ~ III. 30 ~ 3 2 ~ 29 ~ 3 1 ~ 24~ 3 2~ 34~ - IV. 19 ~ 20 ~ 3 0 ~ 32§ 24 ~ 31 ~ 30 ~ 3G ~ v. 34~ 24 ~ 37 A 3-t 3 1 ~ 22 § 33 37 k - I Total in inches. 589•7 5 554 · 25 \ The average height of tho twenty crosse d ?l (a nts .i s h.e ro 1290 0· 9 t8o, and that of the twenty self·- f' or t'l' d 27 · 71 1nchcs or as I Ise . . 'h l· and the 92. These plants were then cut d.ow~. and. w~! ·~t by a mere crossed in this case exceeded tho self-fertilised In 1 ~. loft freely trifle, viz., in the ratio of 100 to 99. Tho .two o s, exposed to insects, seemed to be equally. fortilo. d' . ing rows in The remainder of the sood was sown In two a JOin CHAP. IV. VIOLA. TRICOLOR. 1~3 the open ground; and the eight tallest plants in each row were measured, with the following result:- TABLE XL. Reseda odorata (seedlings f rom a semi-self-sterile Plant, planted in the open ground). Crossed Plants. Self-fertilised Plants. Inches. Inches. 28~ 2 2~ 22~ 2 4~ 25~ 23~ 25~ 2q 29~ 2 2~ 27 1 27 ~ 22~ 27 ~ 26g 1 9~ Total in} , inche . 207 · 38 188 ·38 The average height of the eight crossed plants is here 25 · 92, and that of the eight self-fertilised plants 23 ·54 inches; or as 100 to 90. IX. VIOLAOE.lE.-VIOLA TRICOLOR. Whilst the :flowers of the common cultivated heartsease are young, the anthers shed their poiJen into a little semi-cy lindrical passage, formed by the basal portion of the lower petal, and surrounded by papillre. rrhe pollen thus collected lies close beneath tho stigma, but can seldom gain access into its cavity, except by the aid of insects, which pass their proboscides down this passage into the nectary.* Consequently when I covered up a large plant of a cultivated variety, it set only eighteen capsules, and most of these contained very few good seeds-several from only one to three; whereas an equally fine * The flowers of this plant ~ave been fully described by 8prengel, Hildebnmcl, Delpino, and H. Muller. The latter author sun;ts up. all the previous ob.:;ervatiOns m his ~ BefruchtunO' der Blumeu,' and in ' Nature,' t'>Nov. 20, 1873, p. ·44. See also Mr. A. W. Bennett, in 'Na 't urc,' May 15, 1873, p. 50; and some remarks by Mr. Kitchener, ibid. p. 143. The facts which follow on tile effects of covt--ring up a plant of V. tricolor have been quoted by Sir J .. Ll:lbbock in his 'British Wild Flowers,' &c. p. 62. |