﻿170 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  Wherever 
  this 
  variety 
  is 
  cultivated 
  the 
  same 
  re- 
  

   version 
  may 
  be 
  seen; 
  it 
  is 
  produced 
  abundant- 
  

   ly, 
  and 
  even 
  under 
  seemingly 
  normal 
  circum- 
  

   stances. 
  But 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Ribes 
  all 
  the 
  

   specimens 
  are 
  derived 
  by 
  buds 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  

   original 
  plant. 
  The 
  variety 
  was 
  introduced 
  

   from 
  Japan 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1860, 
  but 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  much 
  older. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  

   real 
  origin. 
  It 
  never 
  bears 
  flowers 
  or 
  fruits. 
  

   It 
  is 
  curious 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  the 
  analogous 
  variety 
  

   of 
  the 
  European 
  yew, 
  Taxus 
  baccata 
  fastigiata, 
  

   though 
  much 
  more 
  commonly 
  cultivated 
  than 
  

   the 
  Ceplialotaxus, 
  never 
  reverts, 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain. 
  This 
  clearly 
  

   corroborates 
  the 
  explanation 
  given 
  above. 
  

  

  After 
  considering 
  these 
  rare 
  instances 
  of 
  

   more 
  widely 
  known 
  reversions, 
  we 
  may 
  now 
  ex- 
  

   amine 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  atavism 
  from 
  a 
  broader 
  

   point 
  of 
  view. 
  But 
  in 
  doing 
  so 
  it 
  should 
  once 
  

   more 
  be 
  remembered, 
  that 
  all 
  cases 
  of 
  hybrid- 
  

   ism 
  and 
  also 
  all 
  varieties 
  sporting 
  annually 
  or 
  

   frequently, 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  wholly 
  excluded. 
  Only 
  the 
  

   very 
  rare 
  occurrence 
  of 
  instances 
  of 
  atavism 
  in 
  

   varieties 
  that 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  rest 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  ab- 
  

   solutely 
  constant, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  considered. 
  

  

  Atavism 
  or 
  reversion 
  is 
  the 
  falling 
  back 
  to 
  a 
  

   prototype. 
  But 
  what 
  is 
  a 
  prototype 
  ? 
  We 
  may 
  

   take 
  the 
  word 
  in 
  a 
  physiologic 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  systematic 
  

   sense. 
  Physiologically 
  the 
  signification 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  