﻿Striped 
  Flowers 
  311 
  

  

  striped 
  flowers 
  are 
  introduced. 
  In 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  discussion 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  most 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  give 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  concerning 
  

   them, 
  and 
  follow 
  this 
  by 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  

   detailed 
  evidence 
  obtained 
  experimentally, 
  

   which 
  supports 
  the 
  usage 
  cited. 
  

  

  The 
  striped 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  larkspur 
  of 
  our 
  

   gardens 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  produce 
  monochromatic 
  

   flowers, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  striped 
  ones. 
  They 
  may 
  

   be 
  borne 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  racemes, 
  or 
  on 
  different 
  

   branches, 
  or 
  some 
  seedlings 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

   parent-plant 
  may 
  bear 
  monochromatic 
  flow- 
  

   ers 
  while 
  others 
  may 
  be 
  striped. 
  Such 
  devia- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  usually 
  called 
  sports. 
  But 
  they 
  occur 
  

   yearly 
  and 
  regularly 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  in- 
  

   variably 
  when 
  the 
  cultures 
  are 
  large 
  enough. 
  

   Such 
  a 
  variety 
  I 
  shall 
  call 
  " 
  ever-sporting." 
  

  

  The 
  striped 
  larkspur 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  varieties. 
  It 
  has 
  kept 
  its 
  capacity 
  of 
  

   sporting 
  through 
  centuries, 
  and 
  therefore 
  may 
  

   in 
  some 
  sense 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  stable. 
  Its 
  

   changes 
  are 
  limited 
  to 
  a 
  rather 
  narrow 
  circle, 
  

   and 
  this 
  circle 
  is 
  as 
  constant 
  as 
  the 
  peculiari- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  constant 
  species 
  or 
  variety. 
  

   But 
  within 
  this 
  circle 
  it 
  is 
  always 
  changing 
  

   from 
  small 
  stripes 
  to 
  broad 
  streaks, 
  and 
  from 
  

   them 
  to 
  pure 
  colors. 
  Here 
  the 
  variability 
  is 
  a 
  

   thing 
  of 
  absolute 
  constancy, 
  while 
  the 
  constancy 
  

   consists 
  in 
  eternal 
  changes! 
  Such 
  apparent 
  

  

  