raised from these seeds may be called the English-crossed. As far as the above averages can be trusted from so few capsules, the English-crossed capsules contained twice as many seeds as the intercrossed, and rather more than twice as many as the self-fertilised capsules.  The plants which yielded these capsules were grown in pots in the greenhouse, so that their absolute productiveness must not be compared with that of plants growing out of doors.

The above three lots of seeds, namely, the self-fertilised, intercrossed, and English-crossed, were planted in an equal state of germination (having been as usual sown on bare sand) in nine large pots, each divided into three parts by superficial partitions.  Many of the self-fertilised seeds germinated before those of the two crossed lots, and these were of course rejected.  The seedlings thus raised are the great-grandchildren of the plants which grew in Brazil.  When they were from 2 to 4 inches in height, the three lots were equal.  They were measured when four-fifths grown, and again when fully grown, and as their relative heights were almost exactly the same at these two ages, I will give only the last measurements.  The average height of the nineteen English-crossed plants was 45.92 inches; that of the eighteen intercrossed plants (for one died), 43.38; and that of the nineteen self-fertilised plants, 50.3 inches.  So that we have the following ratios in height:—­

The English-crossed to the self-fertilised plants, as 100 to 109.

The English-crossed to the intercrossed plants, as 100 to 94.

The intercrossed to the self-fertilised plants, as 100 to 116.

After the seed-capsules had been gathered, all these plants were cut down close to the ground and weighed.  The nineteen English crossed plants weighed 18.25 ounces; the intercrossed plants (with their weight calculated as if there had been nineteen) weighed 18.2 ounces; and the nineteen self-fertilised plants, 21.5 ounces.  We have therefore for the weights of the three lots of plants the following ratios:—­

The English-crossed to the self-fertilised plants, as 100 to 118.

The English-crossed to the intercrossed plants, as 100 to 100.

The intercrossed to the self-fertilised plants, as 100 to 118.

We thus see that in weight, as in height, the self-fertilised plants had a decided advantage over the English-crossed and intercrossed plants.

The remaining seeds of the three kinds, whether or not in a state of germination, were sown in three long parallel rows in the open ground; and here again the self-fertilised seedlings exceeded in height by between 2 and 3 inches the seedlings in the two other rows, which were of nearly equal heights.  The three rows were left unprotected throughout the winter, and all the plants were killed, with the exception of two of the self-fertilised; so that as far as this little bit of evidence goes, some of the self-fertilised plants were more hardy than any of the crossed plants of either lot.