﻿134 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  dant 
  in 
  parks 
  and 
  gardens, 
  little 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  known 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  their 
  varietal 
  attributes 
  

   and 
  their 
  constancy, 
  when 
  propagated 
  by 
  seeds. 
  

   Besides 
  the 
  ray-florets 
  and 
  the 
  colors, 
  there 
  are 
  

   of 
  course 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  other 
  characters 
  in 
  

   which 
  varieties 
  may 
  differ 
  from 
  their 
  species. 
  

   In 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  discern 
  

   whether 
  the 
  new 
  character 
  is 
  a 
  positive 
  or 
  a 
  

   negative 
  one. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   scrutinize 
  very 
  narrowly 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  forms 
  to 
  be- 
  

   come 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  negative 
  form 
  is 
  the 
  

   one 
  which 
  prevails 
  nearly 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  that 
  

   positive 
  aberrations 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  sense 
  so 
  

   rare 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  even 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  excep- 
  

   tions 
  to 
  the 
  rule. 
  

  

  Many 
  organs 
  and 
  many 
  qualities 
  may 
  be 
  lost 
  

   in 
  the 
  origination 
  of 
  a 
  variety. 
  In 
  some 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  the 
  petals 
  may 
  disappear, 
  as 
  in 
  Nigella, 
  

   or 
  the 
  stamens, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Guelder-rose 
  (Vibur- 
  

   num 
  Opulus] 
  and 
  the 
  Hortensia 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   bulbs 
  even 
  the 
  'whole 
  flowers 
  may 
  be 
  wanting, 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  beautiful 
  " 
  Plumosa 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  

   cultivated 
  grape-hyacinth 
  or 
  Muscari 
  comosum. 
  

   Fruits 
  of 
  the 
  pineapples 
  and 
  bananas 
  without 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  on 
  record 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  some 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   apples 
  and 
  pears, 
  of 
  raisins 
  and 
  oranges. 
  And 
  

   some 
  years 
  ago 
  Mr. 
  Riviere 
  of 
  Algeria 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  a 
  date 
  growing 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  that 
  forms 
  

   fruit 
  without 
  pits. 
  The 
  stoneless 
  plum 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

  

  