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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  of 
  this 
  exceptionally 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  variability 
  

   to 
  the 
  inner 
  and 
  outer 
  conditions 
  of 
  life. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  all 
  experiments 
  show 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  such 
  a 
  relation. 
  Unfavorable 
  conditions 
  re- 
  

   duce 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  altered 
  stamens, 
  favorable 
  

   circumstances 
  raise 
  it 
  to 
  its 
  highest 
  point. 
  This 
  

   holds 
  true 
  for 
  lots 
  including 
  hundreds 
  of 
  speci- 
  

   mens, 
  but 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  sundry 
  heads 
  of 
  one 
  bed, 
  

   and 
  often 
  for 
  one 
  single 
  plant. 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  compare 
  the 
  terminal 
  flower 
  with 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  branches 
  on 
  a 
  plant, 
  and 
  

   when 
  no 
  special 
  influences 
  disturb 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ment, 
  the 
  terminal 
  head 
  ordinarily 
  bears 
  the 
  

   richest 
  crown. 
  If 
  the 
  first 
  has 
  more 
  than 
  

   100 
  metamorphosed 
  parts, 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  

   often 
  less 
  than 
  50 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  plant. 
  In 
  poor 
  

   soil, 
  terminal 
  heads 
  are 
  often 
  reduced 
  to 
  10 
  - 
  20 
  

   monstrous 
  organs, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  

   lateral 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  plants 
  ordinarily 
  

   with 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  altered 
  stamens. 
  In 
  some 
  

   cases 
  I 
  allowed 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  and 
  

   fourth 
  degree, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  side 
  twigs 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  branches 
  of 
  my 
  selected 
  plants 
  to 
  grow 
  

   out 
  and 
  produce 
  flowers 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  They 
  were 
  

   ordinarily 
  weak, 
  sometimes 
  very 
  small, 
  having 
  

   only 
  5-9 
  stigmas 
  on 
  their 
  central 
  fruit. 
  Sec- 
  

   ondary 
  capsules 
  were 
  not 
  seen 
  on 
  such 
  flowers, 
  

   even 
  when 
  the 
  experiment 
  was 
  repeated 
  on 
  a 
  

  

  