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Show 226 PRIMULA SINENSIS. C HAP. Vl. the number of seeds obtained from these two modes of self-fertilisation, both of which were illegitimate. Tho two lots of seeds from both forms were sown thickly on opposite sides of four pots, and numerous plants thus raised. But there was no difference in their growth, excepting in one pot, in which tho offspring from the illegitimate union of two long-styled plants exceeded in a decided manner in height the otl'~prin g of flowers on the same plants fertilised with their own }10llon. But in all four pots the plants raised from the union of di. t inct plants belonging to the same form, flowered before the oft pring from the selffertilised flowers. Some long-styled and short-styled plants were now raiRoc1from purchased seeds, and flowers on both forms were k gitimately crossed with pollen from a di tinct plant ; and other flowers on both forms were illegitimately fertilised with pollen from the flowers on the same plant. Tbe seeds were so'ivn on opposite sides of Pots I. to IV. in the following table (XCV.) ; a Rh1gle plant being left on each side. Several flowers on tho illegitimate longstyled and short-styled plants de. cribc l in the last paragraph, were also legitimately and illegitimately fcrti liRecl in the manner just described, and their seeds were sown in Pots V. to VIII. in the same table. As the two set s of so cllings did not differ in any essential manner, their mcasur01ncnts arc gi~en in a Ringle table: I should add that the legitimate u nions in both cases yielded, as might have been expected, many more. ceds than the illegitimate unions. The seedlings whilst half-grown presented no difference in height on the two si<les of the several pots. When fully grown they were measured to t1w tips of their longest leaves, and the r esult is given in Table XCV. In si~ out of the eight pots the legitimately crossed plants exceeded in height by a trifle the illegitimately self-fertilised - plants; but th~ latter exceeded the former in two of tho pots in a more strongly marked manner. The avera.o-e height of tho dght legitimately crossed plants is 9 · 01, and that of tho eight jJlegitimate1y self-fertilised 9·03 inches ; or as 100 to 100 ·2. The plants on the opposite sides produced, as f;_tr as could be judged by the eye, an equal number of flower >::. I d id not count th e capsules or the ~eeds produced by them ; but undonbtcclly, judging from many previous observations, the plants derived from the legitimately crossed seeds would have Leen considerably more fertile than those from the illegitimately self-fertilised seeds. The crossed plants, as in the previous case, flowered before the CHAP. VI. PRIMULA SINENSIS. 227 TABLE XCV. Primula sinensis. No. of Pot. Plants from legiti- Plants from illegit i-mately crossed Seeds. mately self-fertilised Seeds. Inches. Inches. I. 82 8 From short-styled g mother. II. 74 8~ From short-styled lJ mother. III. 9i 9i F1.·om long-styled mothee. IV. 8 4 8 ~ From long-styled lJ mother. v. 9 ~ 9 From illegitimate short-styled mother. VI. 9k 9 4 From illegitimate lJ short-sty led mother. VII. sa 94 From illegitimate g long-styled mother. -- VIII. 10 ~ 10 From illegitimate long-sty led mother. - -- --- -~ Total in inches. 72·13 72•25 ,_ self-fe~tilised plants in all the pots except in Pot II., in which the two sides fl owere d s1· mu lta neously; and this early flowering may, perhaps, be considered as an advantage. Q 2 |