﻿Stability 
  and 
  Real 
  Atavism 
  183 
  

  

  cross-fertilization 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  plant, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  have 
  no 
  scientific 
  

   value. 
  For 
  anyone 
  who 
  cares 
  to 
  work 
  with 
  

   the 
  precautions 
  prescribed 
  by 
  science, 
  a 
  wide 
  

   field 
  is 
  here 
  open 
  for 
  investigation, 
  because 
  old 
  

   reverted 
  branches 
  may 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  much 
  less 
  

   rarely 
  than 
  new 
  ones. 
  

  

  Finally 
  the 
  possibility 
  is 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  that 
  the 
  tendency 
  to 
  bud-reversions 
  may 
  

   be 
  a 
  special 
  feature 
  of 
  some 
  individuals, 
  and 
  

   may 
  not 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   variety. 
  I 
  have 
  spoken 
  of 
  this 
  before. 
  For 
  the 
  

   practical 
  student 
  it 
  indicates 
  that 
  a 
  specimen, 
  

   once 
  observed 
  to 
  produce 
  atavistic 
  buds, 
  may 
  be 
  

   expected 
  to 
  do 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  again. 
  And 
  then 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  chance 
  that 
  by 
  combining 
  

   this 
  view 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  dormant 
  buds 
  are 
  

   more 
  apt 
  to 
  revert 
  than 
  young 
  ones, 
  we 
  may 
  get 
  

   at 
  a 
  method 
  for 
  further 
  investigation, 
  if 
  we 
  re- 
  

   cur 
  to 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  pruning. 
  By 
  cutting 
  

   away 
  the 
  young 
  twigs 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  dormant 
  

   buds, 
  we 
  may 
  incite 
  these 
  to 
  action. 
  Evidently 
  

   we 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  expect 
  that 
  in 
  so 
  doing 
  they 
  will 
  

   all 
  become 
  atavistic. 
  For 
  this 
  result 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  

   all 
  assured 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  all 
  that 
  we 
  might 
  

   hope 
  to 
  attain 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  them 
  being 
  induced 
  to 
  sport 
  in 
  the 
  desired 
  

   direction. 
  

  

  Many 
  questions 
  in 
  scientific 
  research 
  can 
  only 
  

  

  