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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  the 
  old 
  roots. 
  Double 
  tuberous 
  begonias 
  are 
  or- 
  

   dinarily 
  absolutely 
  sterile 
  throughout 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer, 
  but 
  towards 
  autumn 
  the 
  new 
  flowers 
  be- 
  

   come 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  altered, 
  producing 
  some 
  nor- 
  

   mal 
  stamens 
  and 
  pistils 
  among 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   metamorphosed 
  organs. 
  From 
  these 
  flowers 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  saved. 
  Sometimes 
  similar 
  flowers 
  

   occur 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  flowering-period. 
  

   Double 
  garden-camomiles 
  (Chrysanthemum 
  in- 
  

   odorum 
  plenissimum) 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  double 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  garden-plants 
  among 
  the 
  great 
  

   family 
  of 
  the 
  composites 
  are 
  very 
  sensitive 
  to 
  

   external 
  agencies, 
  and 
  their 
  flower-heads 
  are 
  

   fuller 
  the 
  more 
  favorable 
  the 
  external 
  condi- 
  

   tions. 
  Towards 
  the 
  autumn 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  fewer 
  and 
  fewer 
  converted 
  heads 
  and 
  often 
  

   only 
  these 
  are 
  fertile 
  and 
  yield 
  seeds. 
  

  

  Ascidia 
  afford 
  another 
  instance 
  of 
  this 
  

   periodicity, 
  though 
  ordinarily 
  they 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  

   too 
  rare 
  to 
  show 
  any 
  regularity 
  in 
  their 
  distri- 
  

   bution. 
  However, 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  observe 
  that 
  on 
  

   lime-trees 
  they 
  prefer 
  the 
  lower 
  parts 
  of 
  each 
  

   twig, 
  while 
  on 
  magnolias 
  the 
  terminal 
  leaves 
  

   of 
  the 
  branches 
  are 
  often 
  pitcher-bearing. 
  

   Ascidia 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  clover 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  

   in 
  numbers, 
  in 
  my 
  own 
  experiment-garden, 
  

   but 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  springtime. 
  The 
  thick- 
  

   leaved 
  saxifrage 
  (Saxifraga 
  crassifolia) 
  is 
  

   often 
  very 
  productive 
  of 
  ascidia, 
  especially 
  in 
  

  

  