3.
Column 1: Plant.
Column 2: Number of Plants.
Column 3: Number of Umbels.
Column 4: Weight of Seed in grains.
Short-styled cowslips : 47 : 173 : 745.
Long-styled cowslips : 58 : 208 : 692.
These figures give us the following proportions:--
TABLE 1.4.
Column 1: Plant.
Column 2: Number of Plants.
Column 3: Weight of Seed in grains.
...
Column 4: Number of Umbels.
Column 5: Weight of Seed in grains.
Short-styled cowslips : 100 : 1585 :: 100 : 430.
Long-styled cowslips : 100 : 1093 :: 100 : 332.
The season was much more favourable this year than the last; the plants also now
grew in good soil, instead of in a shady wood or struggling with other plants in
the open field; consequently the actual produce of seed was considerably larger.
Nevertheless we have the same relative result; for the short-styled plants
produced more seed than the long-styled in nearly the proportion of three to
two; but if we take the fairest standard of comparison, namely, the product of
seeds from an equal number of umbels, the excess is, as in the former case,
nearly as four to three.
Looking to these trials made during two successive years on a large number of
plants, we may safely conclude that the short-styled form is more productive
than the long-styled form, and the same result holds good with some other
species of Primula.
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