When a plant died at a somewhat more advanced age the fact was recorded; and I find in my notes that out of several hundred plants, only seven of the crossed died, whilst of the self-fertilised at least twenty-nine were thus lost, that is more than four times as many.  Mr. Galton, after examining some of my tables, remarks:  “It is very evident that the columns with the self-fertilised plants include the larger number of exceptionally small plants;” and the frequent presence of such puny plants no doubt stands in close relation with their liability to premature death.  The self-fertilised plants of Petunia completed their growth and began to wither sooner than did the intercrossed plants; and these latter considerably before the offspring from a cross with a fresh stock.

Period of flowering.

In some cases, as with Digitalis, Dianthus, and Reseda, a larger number of the crossed than of the self-fertilised plants threw up flower-stems; but this probably was merely the result of their greater power of growth; for in the first generation of Lobelia fulgens, in which the self-fertilised plants greatly exceeded in height the crossed plants, some of the latter failed to throw up flower-stems.  With a large number of species, the crossed plants exhibited a well-marked tendency to flower before the self-fertilised ones growing in the same pots.  It should however be remarked that no record was kept of the flowering of many of the species; and when a record was kept, the flowering of the first plant in each pot was alone observed, although two or more pairs grew in the same pot.  I will now give three lists,—­one of the species in which the first plant that flowered was a crossed one,—­a second in which the first that flowered was a self-fertilised plant,—­and a third of those which flowered at the same time.

[Species, of which the first plants that flowered were of crossed parentage.

Ipomoea purpurea.

I record in my notes that in all ten generations many of the crossed plants flowered before the self-fertilised; but no details were kept.

Mimulus luteus (First Generation).

Ten flowers on the crossed plants were fully expanded before one on the self-fertilised.

Mimulus luteus (Second and Third Generation).

In both these generations a crossed plant flowered before one of the self-fertilised in all three pots.

Mimulus luteus (Fifth Generation).

In all three pots a crossed plant flowered first; yet the self-fertilised plants, which belonged to the new tall variety, were in height to the crossed as 126 to 100.

Mimulus luteus.

Plants derived from a cross with a fresh stock as well as the intercrossed plants of the old stock, flowered before the self-fertilised plants in nine out of the ten pots.

Salvia coccinea.