e fertilised by their own pollen, and
the fourth by the pollen of a triple cross between _H. bulbulosum_,
_reginae_, and _vittatum_; the result was, that "the ovaries of the
three first flowers soon ceased to grow, and after a few days perished
entirely: whereas the pod impregnated by the hybrid made vigorous and
rapid progress to maturity, and bore good seed, which vegetated
freely." This is, indeed, as Herbert remarks, "a strange truth," but
not so strange as it then appeared.

As a confirmation of these statements, I may add that Mr. M.
Mayes,[318] after much experience in crossing the species of Amaryllis
(Hippeastrum), says, "neither the species nor the hybrids will, we are
well aware, produce seed so abundantly from their own pollen as from
that of others." So, again, Mr. Bidwell, in New South Wales,[319]
asserts that _Amaryllis belladonna_ bears many more seeds when
fertilised by the pollen of _Brunswigia_ (_Amaryllis_ of some authors)
_Josephinae_ or of _B. multiflora_, than when fertilised by its own
pollen. Mr. Beaton dusted four flowers of a Cyrtanthus with their own
pollen, and four with the pollen of _Vallota_ (_Amaryllis_) _purpurea_;
on the seventh day "those which received their own pollen slackened
their growth, and ultimately perished; those which were crossed with
the Vallota held on."[320] These latter cases, however, relate to
uncrossed species, like those before given with respect to Passiflora,
Orchids, &c., and are here referred to only because the plants belong
to the same group of Amaryllidaceae.

In the experiments on the hybrid Hippeastrums, if Herbert had found
that the pollen of two or three kinds alone had been more efficient on
certain kinds than their own pollen, it might have been argued that
these, from their mixed parentage, had a closer mutual affinity than
the others; but this explanation is inadmissible, for the trials were
made reciprocally backwards and forwards on nine different hybrids; and
a cross, whichever way taken, always proved highly beneficial. I can
add a striking and analogous case from experiments made by the Rev. A.
Rawson, of Bromley Common, with some complex hybrids of Gladiolus. This
skilful horticulturist possessed a number of French varieties,
differing from each other only in the colour and size of the flowers,
all descend