The seeds from the crossed perfect flowers and from the self-fertilised
cleistogene flowers were allowed to germinate on sand; but unfortunately
only two pairs germinated at the same time. These were planted on the
opposite sides of the same pot, which was kept in the greenhouse. In the
summer of the same year, when the seedlings were about 4 1/2 inches in
height, the two lots were equal. In the autumn of the following year
(1868) the two crossed plants were of exactly the same height, namely,
11 4/8 inches, and the two self-fertilised plants 12 6/8 and 7 2/8
inches; so that one of the self-fertilised exceeded considerably in
height all the others. By the autumn of 1869 the two crossed plants had
acquired the supremacy; their height being 16 4/8 and 15 1/8, whilst
that of the two self-fertilised plants was 14 5/8 and 11 4/8 inches.
By the autumn of 1870, the heights were as follows:--
TABLE 5/61. Ononis minutissima.
Heights of plants measured in inches.
Column 1: Crossed Plants.
Column 2: Self-fertilised Plants.
: 20 3/8 : 17 4/8.
: 19 2/8 : 17 2/8.
Total : 39.63 : 34.75.
So that the mean height of the two crossed plants was 19.81, and that of
the two self-fertilised 17.37 inches; or as 100 to 88. It should be
remembered that the two lots were at first equal in height; that one of
the self-fertilised plants then had the advantage, the two crossed
plants being at last victorious.
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