They were measured, when fully grown, with the following
result:--
TABLE 5/56. Lathyrus odoratus.
Heights of plants measured in inches.
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: Self-fertilised Plants from Crossed Plants.
Column 3: Self-fertilised Plants from Self-fertilised Plants.
Pot 1 : 72 : 65.
Pot 1 : 72 : 61 4/8.
Pot 2 : 58 : 64.
Pot 2 : 68 : 68 2/8.
Pot 2 : 72 4/8 : 56 4/8.
Pot 3 : 81 : 60 2/8.
Pot 4 : 77 4/8 : 76 4/8.
Total : 501 : 452.
The average height of the seven self-fertilised plants, the offspring of
crossed plants, is 71.57, and that of the seven self-fertilised plants,
the offspring of self-fertilised plants, is 64.57; or as 100 to 90. The
self-fertilised plants from the self-fertilised produced rather more
pods--namely, thirty-six--than the self-fertilised plants from the
crossed, for these produced only thirty-one pods.
A few seeds of the same two lots were sown in the opposite corners of a
large box in which a Brugmansia had long been growing, and in which the
soil was so exhausted that seeds of Ipomoea purpurea would hardly
vegetate; yet the two plants of the sweet-pea which were raised
flourished well. For a long time the self-fertilised plant from the
self-fertilised beat the self-fertilised plant from the crossed plant;
the former flowered first, and was at one time 77 1/2 inches, whilst the
latter was only 68 1/2 in height; but ultimately the plant from the
previous cross showed its superiority and attained a height of 108 1/2
inches, whilst the other was only 95 inches.
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