A few flowers were crossed with pollen from a distinct plant, but owing to the unfavourable season only two crossed seeds were produced.  Nine seeds were saved from flowers spontaneously self-fertilised under a net, on the same plant which yielded the two crossed seeds.  One of these crossed seeds was sown in a pot with two self-fertilised seeds on the opposite side; the latter came up between two and three days before the crossed seed.  The second crossed seed was sown in like manner with two self-fertilised seeds on the opposite side; these latter also came up about a day before the crossed one.  In both pots, therefore, the crossed seedlings from germinating later, were at first completely beaten by the self-fertilised; nevertheless, this state of things was afterwards completely reversed.  The seeds were sown late in the autumn, and the pots, which were much too small, were kept in the greenhouse.  The plants in consequence grew badly, and the self-fertilised suffered most in both pots.  The two crossed plants when in flower during the following spring were 9 inches in height; one of the self-fertilised plants was 8, and the three others only 3 inches in height, being thus mere dwarfs.  The two crossed plants produced thirteen pods, whilst the four self-fertilised plants produced only a single one.  Some other self-fertilised plants which had been raised separately in larger pots produced several spontaneously self-fertilised pods under a net, and seeds from these were used in the following experiment.

Crossed and self-fertilised plants of the second generation.

The spontaneously self-fertilised seeds just mentioned, and crossed seeds obtained by intercrossing the two crossed plants of the last generation, after germinating on sand, were planted in pairs on the opposite sides of three large pots.  When the seedlings were only 4 inches in height, the crossed had a slight advantage over their opponents.  When grown to their full height, every one of the crossed plants exceeded its opponent in height.  Nevertheless the self-fertilised plants in all three pots flowered before the crossed!  The measurements are given in Table 5/52.

Table 5/52.  Lupinus luteus.

Heights of plants measured in inches.

Column 1:  Number (Name) of Pot.

Column 2:  Crossed Plants.

Column 3:  Self-fertilised Plants.

Pot 1 :  33 2/8 :  24 4/8. 
Pot 1 :  30 4/8 :  18 4/8. 
Pot 1 :  30 :  28.

Pot 2 :  29 4/8 :  26. 
Pot 2 :  30 :  25.

Pot 3 :  30 4/8 :  28. 
Pot 3 :  31 :  27 2/8. 
Pot 3 :  31 4/8 :  24 4/8.

Total :  246.25 :  201.75.

The eight crossed plants here average 30.78, and the eight self-fertilised 25.21 inches in height; or as 100 to 82.  These plants were left uncovered in the greenhouse to set their pods, but they produced very few good ones, perhaps in part owing to few bees visiting them.  The crossed plants produced nine pods, containing on an average 3.4 seeds, and the self-fertilised plants seven pods, containing on an average 3 seeds, so that the seeds from an equal number of plants were as 100 to 88.