Sir.

I am surprised with the account you give of Bryanthus!¹ I regret having noticed it at all in my case paper—but it is now too late to correct as the Journal containing it will be out in the beginning of April…² Strangely enough, however, M^r. I. Ander⁠⟨⁠son⁠⟩⁠ Henry has lately—in the ‘Scottish Farmer’ if I recollect rightly— stated, that he has actually raised the ⁠⟨⁠Bryan⁠⟩⁠thus by crossing the Rhod. Chamaecistus and Menzesia empetrifolia. ³ I have made several unsuccessful attempts to cross inter se the presumed parents, & the latter with the Bryanthus.⁴ It was ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ to have made the latter—when I had time— a ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ the following out your suggestions on the relative changes in the structure of hybrids & parents.⁵ From my examinations of the plants in the Botanic Gardens, I may state that its reproductive organs are clearly in an abnormal condition.

As Dr Crüger discusses the fertilisation of Gongora, I will not proceed further with Acropera until I have an opportunity of reading it.⁶ His idea as to the mode in which effected is curious—indeed from the point of view which I have been accustomed to take beset with difficulties.

As to the after-secretion of nectar on column of Acropera, I was inclined to regard it as somewhat different from the Vanilla case; inasmuch as in the former it only occurs after fertilisation has been perfectly effected— unfertilised flowers never in my observations secreting a single drop. ⁷ I suppose in the Vanilla there are no such relations.

Your health I daresay will never have permitted your undertaking—as you intended—the work of estimating the number of seed ⁠⟨⁠in a⁠⟩⁠ capsule of Acropera. ⁸ I have spent sometime at the ⁠⟨⁠ta⁠⟩⁠sk. My results are truly astounding. In ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ measuring 2$\frac{1}{2}$ in. long by $\frac{3}{4}$ of an inch in diameter, full of the minute seed—my calculations give the prodigious number of 371,250!⁹ This is the mean result of the following modes. 1. I carefully measured of one-eight of an inch of the capsule: cutting this off I arranged the contained seed as equably as possible in line carefully measured, & counted the number contained in the 12^th. of an inch. 2. I carefully arranged the seeds in spaces accurately measured off at 3 lines sq. counting the number contained in one space. I then similarly arranged all the seeds contained in the capsule.—— I have been struck with the prodigal fertility of our own humble orchids—as shown by your calculations¹⁰—but how incomparably more so have I been when considering the results of my own computation on Acropera: These would indeed; have been surprising enough, had the product of the single capsule—given above—been the sum-total of its annual flowering; but when we consider the number of racemes annually produced ⁠⟨⁠from a⁠⟩⁠ single raceme of Gong. atropurpurea I have fert⁠⟨⁠ilised⁠⟩⁠ above 20 flowers) we can only look in silent wonderment at Nature’s prodigality.¹¹ I should like much to hear if you have yet ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ on the productiveness of the larger e⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ orchids. ¹²

I have now the pleasure to communicate to you the most interesting—as I am inclined to think—of all my illustrations of the self-sterility of Orchids. The following were the subjects—Oncidium microchilum, O. divaricatum var. cupreum and O. ornithorynchum; all the plants belonging the Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.¹³ First on two plants of the O. michrochilum I made numerous attempts to fertilise either with own-pollen, yet in no case did I succeed though the flowers exhibited the usual symptoms of affection with pollen-tubes—in their shrivelling up & closing of stigmatic chamber. I then reciprocally fertilised the two plants, and had the following results. From plant No. 1: 6 flowers fertilised by pollen of No. 2, 4 flowers yielded good capsules. Again plant No. 2. 6 flowers fertilised by pollen of No. 1, did not yield a single capsule. A repetition of the latter experiment gave the self same result. I next tried O. microchilum No. 1 by pollen of O. divaricatum, cupreum—6 fl. fertilised produced 2 good capsules; 6 fl. of the latter fertilised by the former gave 4 capsules.— O. michrochilum no. 2. 6 fl. fertilised by pollen of O. divaricatum, cupreum produced two capsules but both dropped early. A repetition of this experiment gave no better re⁠⟨⁠sult.⁠⟩⁠ From 6 fl. of O. divaricatum cupreum fertilised by pollen ⁠⟨⁠of⁠⟩⁠ michrochilum No. 2, 3 capsules were produced. Again ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ plants of O. michrochilum ultimately proved sterile to pollen ⁠⟨⁠of O. ornith⁠⟩⁠orhynchum: though by applying the pollinia of the for⁠⟨⁠mer to th⁠⟩⁠e latter, I had in the one case from ⁠⟨⁠8⁠⟩⁠ fl. ⁠⟨⁠5⁠⟩⁠ cap. ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ the other, from 8 fl. 3 cap. . .¹⁴ The enclosed table will best show the complex relations of the above.¹⁵

I have elicited an analogous case to the above in my experiments on the Passiflora cærulea.¹⁶ As I have now got my experiments on the Passiflora tabulated, I will if you like send you up copies. Would it not be necessary in drawing up a paper on these to notice the results of former experimenters?¹⁷ If so I really could not undertake it at present: as I have here no books for reference.

I will be glad to hear from you—when your health permits—on any of the points worth noticing in the above.

I remain | Sir | Yours most respectfully | J. Scott

P.S. | I am sorry to trouble you—in your present weak state of health—with anything concerning my future plans; but as you have so kindly desired me, I will do so as briefly as possible.¹⁸

In respect to future plans, I regret to state that I have no definite plans whatever to look to.— I left the Bot. Gard. Edinburgh completely chagrined with my masters behaviour to me.— Though there have been several young men sent out to India by Prof. Balfour & M^r. M^c. Nab since I refused to accept the situation they offered me at Darjeeling—respecting which perhaps you may remember I consulted you—they have never given me another offer.¹⁹ (And I know there has been one or two really good places at their disposal). I felt this repeated overlooking very deeply, as I had been led to hope that they would do what they could to get me some foreign situation.

Seeing, however, the utter hopelessness of entertaining this further, I with the completion of the experiment, in which I was immediately engaged intimated to M^r. M^c.Nab my intention to leave, which I did at the conclusion of my 5^th. year in his service.

I would be glad indeed, if I might yet be permitted to entertain the hope that D^r. Hooker will ‘remember me when any place likely to suit, comes under his notice’—as he was once induced to write by the kind interest you were pleased to honour me with.²⁰

Sincerely regretting that I should have had any occasion for troubling you—more especially at present—with these merely personal details | I remain | Sir | J. Scott