﻿Poly 
  cephalic 
  Poppies 
  371 
  

  

  variety, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Cheiranthus 
  Cheiri 
  

   gynantlierus, 
  and 
  the 
  analogous 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  

   opium-poppy 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  an 
  accidental 
  anomaly, 
  

   but 
  an 
  old 
  true 
  horticultural 
  variety, 
  which 
  

   can 
  be 
  bought 
  everywhere 
  under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  

   Papaver 
  somniferum 
  monstruosum 
  or 
  polyce- 
  

   phalum. 
  Since 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  annual 
  plant, 
  only 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  for 
  sale, 
  and 
  this 
  at 
  once 
  gives 
  a 
  suffi- 
  

   cient 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  heredity. 
  In 
  all 
  cases, 
  where 
  

   it 
  was 
  met 
  with 
  accidentally 
  by 
  botanists, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  assumed 
  that 
  stray 
  seeds 
  had 
  been 
  casually 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  varieties, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  

   habit 
  had 
  been 
  transmitted 
  by 
  a 
  spontaneous 
  

   cross. 
  

  

  Wherever 
  opportunity 
  led 
  to 
  experiments 
  on 
  

   heredity, 
  distinct 
  races 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  pos- 
  

   session 
  of 
  this 
  quality, 
  while 
  others 
  were 
  not. 
  

   It 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  to 
  cultivate 
  large 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  wall-flowers 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  one 
  day 
  seeing 
  the 
  

   anomaly 
  arise 
  ; 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  is 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  

   strain 
  from 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  got 
  it. 
  With 
  pop- 
  

   pies 
  the 
  various 
  varieties 
  are 
  so 
  often 
  inter- 
  

   crossed 
  by 
  bees, 
  that 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  an 
  acci- 
  

   dental 
  change 
  may 
  sometimes 
  be 
  produced, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  houseleek 
  the 
  pistilloid 
  variety 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  ordinary 
  one, 
  the 
  normal 
  strain 
  being 
  

   very 
  rare 
  or 
  perhaps 
  wholly 
  wanting. 
  

  

  Our 
  three 
  illustrative 
  examples 
  are 
  good 
  and 
  

   permanent 
  races, 
  producing 
  their 
  peculiar 
  quali- 
  

  

  