Hence the self-union of this variety is, in fact, a legitimate
union, and consequently is highly fertile. Mr. Scott further states that this
variety yielded very few seeds when fertilised by either the long- or short-
styled common cowslip, and, again, that both forms of the latter, when
fertilised by the equal-styled variety, likewise produced very few seeds. But
his experiments with the cowslip were few, and my results do not confirm his in
any uniform manner.
I raised twenty plants from self-fertilised seed sent me by Mr. Scott; and they
all produced red flowers, varying slightly in tint. Of these, two were strictly
long-styled both in structure and in function; for their reproductive powers
were tested by crosses with both forms of the common cowslip. Six plants were
equal-styled; but on the same plant the pistil varied a good deal in length
during different seasons. This was likewise the case, according to Mr. Scott,
with the parent-plant. Lastly, twelve plants were in appearance short-styled;
but they varied much more in the length of their pistils than ordinary short-
styled cowslips, and they differed widely from the latter in their powers of
reproduction. Their pistils had become short-styled in structure, whilst
remaining long-styled in function. Short-styled cowslips, when insects are
excluded, are extremely barren: for instance, on one occasion six fine plants
produced only about 50 seeds (that is, less than the product of two good
capsules), and on another occasion not a single capsule.
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