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Phytol. vol. 3. p. 180. M^r Godfrey gathered seed from common cowslip isolated in field & 36 seedlings raised & all came true. (Of course because parent left growing in its own pasture: this though so foolish as argument against variation, is rather good evidence of effect of garden on the production of vars.)

p. 180. Mr Edward Newman having planted the Bardfield Oxlip = Primula Jacquinii without any particular precautions near other vars, raised 8 seedlings which came all perfectly true.

p. 651. Prof. Henslow on this subject remarks that though negative testimony is never entirely worthless, & often very valuable, it cannot be of much weight in comparison with a little positive testimony in deciding the question at issue.

[107]

D^r Bromfield remarks "the cowslip may be regarded as a contracted, & so to speak concentrated form of the primrose." It seems proved "that the seeds of the primrose are capable of producing cowslip & every intermediate grade between these two, or in other words, all the puzzling vars. to which we give the name of oxlip." — "also "that roots of the primrose have been seen bearing both cowslips & oxlips along with their own proper flowers, yet the tendency to metamorphosis w^d appear to be very strongly exerted towards the cowslip termination of the series & very feebly in the direction of the primrose extremity, as I cannot call to mind a single recorded instance of the seed of a genuine cowslip reverting to the absolute simple primrose of our hedge-rows." (Because not grown in shade?? C.D.)

Is convinced by M^r Watson's experiments. In the one one recorded in Phyt. vol. 2. 217 a caulescent var. of P. vulgaris, but nearer in character to cowslip than to primrose, produced 88 seedlings, of

[108]

these 5 proved genuine cowslips, 20 true primroses, 63 intermedisate. Now according to Gaertner who truly show that the results of Hybrids follow laws. might have come from different capsules. not then not like both. it is monstrous suppose that a hybrid mother crossed with either pure parent, would have produced some pure if both sexes. — Thus if the caulescent mother primrose (though nearer to cowslip) which we must suppose on Hybrid theory to be herself a hybrid, was crossed by pure primrose (as is most probable as 20 pure primroses were raised) it is monstrous to suppose that 5 pure cowslips c^d have been raised.

Q.E.D. p. 694. "The primrose it is well known is absent from all the interior regions of northern Europe, where the cowslip is indigenous." This is grand as it shows a different geographicl range. — D^r B.

[109]

remarks, that getting a primrose from a Russian cowslip "would settle the question, if it be not so already in the mind of every unprepared person, beyond all further controversy, were it not that primroses & cowslips are so different to common eyes & in popular belief."

p. 695. The pant now regarded as the true P. elatior L (?) & of Jacquin, first brought before Brit. Bot. by M^r H. Doubleday, who discovered it at Bardfield, certainly has much the air of a distinct species, yet do observations of M^r H.C. Watson (Phyt. vol. I p. 1001) tend to throw some doubt on the fact "he having like myself "seen exceptional instances to all the characters (Taken singly) by which this plant is distinguished from P. vulgaris & p. veris in M^r Bab. Manual; the specific characters drawn out by that author being quite accurate, but not invariably applicable' — " After a visit

[110]

D^r B concluded "that it was a third & probably equally permanent race & variety of the same Primula, of which our primrose & cowslip are co-ordinate representations."

p. 703. "Experiments on the specific identity of the Cowslip & Primrose by J. Sidebotham."

Took root of P. veris — P. vulgaris var. intermedia. P. vulgaris (all from native haunts) P. veris var major from the Manchester market & P. Jacquini from M^r Doubelday — were prevented by being covered with glass from hybridising — planted them & took seeds himself. (N.B. he is enemy of Watson & took up experiment after him & w^d no doubt have been glad to contradict him. —

Of P. veris 473 seedlings were planted out.

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then came P. veris true	412
P. veris var. major (Lond. Cat.)	27	turn these into deviants
—— [hose] in home	3
P. veris dark-coloured	7
do — approaching polyanthus	5
do do [hose] in home	1
no flowers	18
Total	473

 

P. veris var. major produced 65 plants, as follows:

P. veris var. major	21
P. veris true	9
Polyanthus in different shades	16
do do hose in home	3
do with leafy calyz	1
P. vulgaris var. intermedia	7
— var. caulescens	3
P. vulgaris	2
P. Jacquinii	1
no flower	2
Total	65

 

N.B. Hybrids do not go back thus in a single generation.

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P. vulgaris var. intermedia Lond.Cat. gave 27

P. vulgaris var. intermedia	19
do. var. caulescens	3
P. vulgaris (true)	1
no flowers	4
	27

 

P. vulgaris produced 18

P. vulgaris	15
do var. caulescens	1
no flowers	2
	18

 

P. Jacquinii produced 32

P. Jacquinii	24
P. vulgaris	1
— var. caulescens	1
no flowers	6
	32

 

"Sych are the results of my experiments which I must own disappointed me greatly, & interfered very materially with

[113]

my previous ideas of specific identity: we have certainly no direct change from the primrose to cowslip, or the reverse, but we have the change in two steps, first, from the P. veris to P. veris var. major, & then from that to P. vulgaris." —

It is very curious to see how hereditary each var. is in the above lists.

[113v]

I think it must be admitted that number of species related to diversity of conditions — but that whatever conditions are, more forms supported according to degree of difference.

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