The rest of the crossed and self-fertilised seeds from the two parent-plants (the same as in the last experiment) was sown on the 1st of July in four long parallel and separate rows in good soil in the open ground; so that the seedlings were not subjected to any mutual competition. The summer was wet and unfavourable for their growth. Whilst the seedlings were very small the two crossed rows had a clear advantage over the two self-fertilised rows. When fully grown the twenty tallest crossed plants and the twenty tallest self-fertilised plants were selected and measured on the 11th of November to the extremities of their leaves, as shown in Table 6/90. Of the twenty crossed plants, twelve had flowered; whilst of the twenty self-fertilised plants one alone had flowered.
TABLE 6/90. Nicotiana tabacum. Plants raised from the same seeds as in the last two experiments, but sown separately in the open ground, so as not to compete together.
Heights of plants measured in inches.
Column 1: Kew-crossed Plants, from pot 2, Table 6/87.
Column 2: Plants of the fourth Self-fertilised generation, from pot 2, Table 6/87.
Column 3: Kew-crossed Plants, from pot 5, Table 6/87.
Column 4: Plants of the fourth Self-fertilised generation, from pot 5, Table 6/87.
42 2/8 : 22 6/8 : 54 4/8 : 34 4/8.
54 5/8 : 37 4/8 : 51 4/8 : 38 5/8.
39 3/8 : 34 4/8 : 45 : 40 6/8.
53 2/8 : 30 : 43 : 43 2/8.
49 3/8 : 28 6/8 : 43 : 40.
50 3/8 : 31 2/8 : 48 6/8 : 38 2/8.
47 1/8 : 25 4/8 : 44 : 35 6/8.
57 3/8 : 26 2/8 : 48 2/8 : 39 6/8.
37 : 22 3/8 : 55 1/8 : 47 6/8.
48 : 28 : 63 : 58 5/8.
478.75 : 286.86 : 496.13 : 417.25
The twenty tallest crossed plants here average 48.74, and the twenty tallest self-fertilised 35.2 inches in height; or as 100 to 72. These plants after being measured were cut down close to the ground, and the twenty crossed plants weighed 195.75 ounces, and the twenty self-fertilised plants 123.25 ounces; or as 100 to 63.