﻿False 
  Atavism 
  199 
  

  

  that 
  it 
  cannot 
  reasonably 
  be 
  subjected 
  to 
  any 
  

   doubt. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  conceded 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fact, 
  that 
  

   varieties 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  revert 
  to 
  their 
  species 
  under 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  circumstances 
  of 
  commercial 
  cul- 
  

   ture. 
  And 
  I 
  cannot 
  see 
  any 
  reason 
  why 
  this 
  

   fact 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  stating 
  a 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  difference 
  between 
  varieties 
  and 
  species, 
  

   since 
  true 
  species 
  never 
  sport 
  into 
  one 
  another. 
  

  

  My 
  objection 
  only 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  explanation 
  

   of 
  the 
  observed 
  facts. 
  According 
  to 
  my 
  view 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  these 
  ordinary 
  reversions 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  

   crosses, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  that 
  I 
  proposed 
  

   to 
  call 
  them 
  by 
  a 
  separate 
  name, 
  that 
  of 
  ' 
  ' 
  vicin- 
  

   ists." 
  Varieties 
  then, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  such 
  spon- 
  

   taneous 
  intercrossing 
  sport 
  into 
  one 
  another, 
  

   while 
  species 
  either 
  do 
  not 
  cross, 
  or 
  when 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  produce 
  hybrids 
  that 
  are 
  otherwise 
  consti- 
  

   tuted 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  give 
  the 
  impression 
  of 
  atavis- 
  

   tic 
  reversion. 
  

  

  I 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  content 
  with 
  proposing 
  this 
  

   new 
  conception, 
  but 
  must 
  give 
  the 
  facts 
  on 
  

   which 
  this 
  assumption 
  rests. 
  These 
  facts 
  are 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  simple 
  experiments, 
  which 
  never- 
  

   theless 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  easy 
  to 
  carry 
  out, 
  as 
  

   they 
  require 
  the 
  utmost 
  care 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  

   absolute 
  purity 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  that 
  are 
  employed. 
  

   This 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  guaranteed 
  by 
  previous 
  cul- 
  

   tures 
  of 
  isolated 
  plants 
  or 
  groups 
  of 
  plants, 
  or 
  

   by 
  artificial 
  pollination. 
  

  

  