In this last
generation short-styled plants appeared for the first time in the course of the
six generations,--the parent long-styled plant which was fertilised with pollen
from another plant of the same form being counted as the first generation. Their
appearance may be attributed to atavism. From two other long-styled plants,
fertilised with their own-form pollen, 72 plants were raised, which consisted of
68 long-styled and 4 short-styled. So that altogether 162 plants were raised
from illegitimately fertilised long-styled cowslips, and these consisted of 156
long-styled and 6 short-styled plants.
We will now turn to the fertility and powers of growth possessed by the
illegitimate plants. From a short-styled plant, fertilised with its own-form
pollen, one short-styled and two long-styled plants, and from a long-styled
plant similarly fertilised three long-styled plants were at first raised. The
fertility of these six illegitimate plants was carefully observed; but I must
premise that I cannot give any satisfactory standard of comparison as far as the
number of the seeds is concerned; for though I counted the seeds of many
legitimate plants fertilised legitimately and illegitimately, the number varied
so greatly during successive seasons that no one standard will serve well for
illegitimate unions made during different seasons.
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