﻿Polycephalic 
  Poppies 
  379 
  

  

  somewhat 
  larger 
  scale 
  and 
  during 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   years. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  same 
  lot 
  of 
  plants 
  individual 
  dif- 
  

   ferences 
  almost 
  always 
  occur. 
  They 
  are 
  partly 
  

   due 
  to 
  inequalities 
  already 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  seeds, 
  

   and 
  partly 
  to 
  the 
  diversity 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  bed. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  become 
  

   stout 
  and 
  have 
  large 
  terminal 
  heads. 
  Others 
  

   remain 
  very 
  weak, 
  with 
  a 
  slender 
  stem, 
  small 
  

   leaves 
  and 
  undersized 
  flowers. 
  The 
  height 
  and 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  foliage 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  axillary 
  buds 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  obvious 
  

   measures 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  

   plant. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  flower 
  

   and 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  its 
  ovary 
  manifestly 
  depends 
  

   largely 
  on 
  this 
  individual 
  strength, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  

   seen 
  at 
  once 
  by 
  the 
  inspection 
  of 
  any 
  bed 
  of 
  

   opium-poppies. 
  Now 
  this 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  can 
  

   easily 
  be 
  measured, 
  either 
  by 
  its 
  height 
  or 
  cir- 
  

   cumference, 
  or 
  by 
  its 
  weight. 
  Moreover 
  we 
  can 
  

   arrange 
  them 
  into 
  a 
  series 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  

   size. 
  If 
  we 
  do 
  this 
  with 
  the 
  polycephalous 
  vari- 
  

   ety, 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  individual 
  strength 
  

   and 
  degree 
  of 
  metamorphosis 
  at 
  once 
  becomes 
  

   manifest. 
  The 
  largest 
  heads 
  have 
  the 
  brightest 
  

   crowns, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  supernumerary 
  car- 
  

   pels 
  diminishes 
  in 
  nearly 
  exact 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  fruits. 
  Fruits 
  with 
  less 
  than 
  50 
  al- 
  

   tered 
  stamens 
  weighed 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  5 
  grams, 
  

  

  