A single plant, no others growing in the same garden, was left to fertilise itself, and the self-fertilised seeds were collected.  Seeds were also collected from a plant growing in the midst of a large bed in another garden; and as the incoherent pollen is abundant, the seeds of this plant will almost certainly have been the product of a crossed between distinct plants by means of the wind.  Some of the two lots of seeds were sown on the opposite sides of two very large pots; and the young seedlings were thinned, so that an equal but considerable number was left on the two sides.  These plants were thus subjected to very severe competition, as well as to poor conditions.  The remaining seeds were sown out of doors in good soil in two long and not closely adjoining rows, so that these seedlings were placed under favourable conditions, and were not subjected to any mutual competition.  The self-fertilised seeds in the open ground came up very badly; and on removing the soil in two or three places, it was found that many had sprouted under ground and had then died.  No such case had been observed before.  Owing to the large number of seedlings which thus perished, the surviving self-fertilised plants grew thinly in the row, and thus had an advantage over the crossed plants, which grew very thickly in the other row.  The young plants in the two rows were protected by a little straw during the winter, and those in the two large pots were placed in the greenhouse.

There was no difference between the two lots in the pots until the ensuing spring, when they had grown a little, and then some of the crossed plants were finer and taller than any of the self-fertilised.  When in full flower their stems were measured, and the measurements are given in Table 6/96.

Table 6/96.  Beta vulgaris.

Heights of flower stems measured in inches.

Column 1:  Number (Name) of Pot.

Column 2:  Crossed Plants.

Column 3:  Self-fertilised Plants.

Pot 1 :  34 6/8 :  36. 
Pot 1 :  30 :  20 1/8. 
Pot 1 :  33 6/8 :  32 2/8. 
Pot 1 :  34 4/8 :  32.

Pot 2 :  42 3/8 :  42 1/8. 
Pot 2 :  33 1/8 :  26 4/8. 
Pot 2 :  31 2/8 :  29 2/8. 
Pot 2 :  33 :  20 2/8.

Total :  272.75 :  238.50.

The average height of the eight crossed plants is here 34.09, and that of the eight self-fertilised plants 29.81; or as 100 to 87.

With respect to the plants in the open ground, each long row was divided into half, so as to diminish the chance of any accidental advantage in one part of either row; and the four tallest plants in the two halves of the two rows were carefully selected and measured.  The eight tallest crossed plants averaged 30.92, and the eight tallest self-fertilised 30.7 inches in height, or as 100 to 99; so that they were practically equal.  But we should bear in mind that the trial was not quite fair, as the self-fertilised plants had a great advantage over the crossed in being much less crowded in their own row, owing to the large number of seeds which had perished under ground after sprouting.  Nor were the lots in the two rows subjected to any mutual competition.