As it is now evident that the tall white variety transmitted its characters faithfully, and as the self-fertilised plants consisted exclusively of this variety, it was manifest that they would always exceed in height the crossed plants which belonged chiefly to the original shorter varieties. This line of experiment was therefore discontinued, and I tried whether intercrossing two self-fertilised plants of the sixth generation, growing in distinct pots, would give their offspring any advantage over the offspring of flowers on one of the same plants fertilised with their own pollen. These latter seedlings formed the seventh generation of self-fertilised plants, like those in the right hand column in Table 3/18; the crossed plants were the product of six previous self-fertilised generations with an intercross in the last generation. The seeds were allowed to germinate on sand, and were planted in pairs on opposite sides of four pots, all the remaining seeds being sown crowded on opposite sides of Pot 5 in Table 3/19; the three tallest on each side in this latter pot being alone measured. All the plants were twice measured—the first time whilst young, and the average height of the crossed plants to that of the self-fertilised was then as 100 to 122. When fully grown they were again measured, as in Table 3/19.
TABLE 3/19. Mimulus luteus.
Heights of Plants in inches:
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: Intercrossed Plants from Self-fertilised Plants of the Sixth Generation.
Column 3: Self-fertilised Plants of the Seventh Generation.
Pot 1 : 12 6/8 : 15 2/8. Pot 1 : 10 4/8 : 11 5/8. Pot 1 : 10 : 11. Pot 1 : 14 5/8 : 11.
Pot 2 : 10 2/8 : 11 3/8. Pot 2 : 7 6/8 : 11 4/8. Pot 2 : 12 1/8 : 8 5/8. Pot 2 : 7 : 14 3/8.
Pot 3 : 13 5/8 : 10 3/8. Pot 3 : 12 2/8 : 11 6/8.
Pot 4 : 7 1/8 : 14 6/8. Pot 4 : 8 2/8 : 7. Pot 4 : 7 2/8 : 8.