﻿PolycepJialic 
  Poppies 
  395 
  

  

  nearly 
  all 
  weeding 
  out. 
  I 
  got 
  120 
  plants, 
  and 
  

   among 
  them 
  30 
  with 
  full 
  crowns 
  of 
  converted 
  

   stamens, 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  as 
  after 
  

   the 
  weeding 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  experiment. 
  This 
  

   shows 
  that 
  smaller 
  quantities 
  of 
  seed 
  give 
  an 
  

   equal 
  chance 
  for 
  a 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  

   crowns, 
  and 
  should 
  therefore 
  always 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   ferred, 
  as 
  it 
  saves 
  both 
  seed 
  and 
  labor. 
  

  

  Weeding 
  out 
  is 
  a 
  somewhat 
  dangerous 
  oper- 
  

   ation 
  in 
  a 
  comparative 
  trial. 
  Any 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  

   done 
  it 
  often, 
  knows 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  

   propensity 
  to 
  root 
  out 
  the 
  weaker 
  plants 
  and 
  to 
  

   spare 
  the 
  stronger 
  ones. 
  Obviously 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  

   best 
  way 
  for 
  ordinary 
  purposes, 
  but 
  for 
  com- 
  

   parisons 
  evidently 
  one 
  should 
  not 
  discriminate. 
  

   This 
  rule 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  in 
  practice, 
  and 
  for 
  

   this 
  reason 
  one 
  should 
  never 
  sow 
  more 
  than 
  is 
  

   absolutely 
  required 
  to 
  meet 
  all 
  requirements. 
  

  

  Our 
  second 
  point 
  is 
  the 
  manuring 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  

   This 
  is 
  always 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  importance, 
  both 
  

   for 
  normal 
  and 
  for 
  anomalous 
  attributes. 
  The 
  

   conversion 
  of 
  the 
  stamens 
  into 
  pistils 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  

   large 
  measure 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   the 
  soil. 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  trial 
  with 
  some 
  800 
  flowering 
  

   plants, 
  using 
  one 
  sample 
  of 
  seed, 
  but 
  sowing 
  

   one-third 
  on 
  richly 
  manured 
  soil, 
  one-third 
  on 
  

   an 
  unprepared 
  bed 
  of 
  my 
  garden, 
  and 
  one-third 
  

   on 
  nearly 
  pure 
  sand. 
  In 
  all 
  other 
  respects 
  the 
  

   three 
  groups 
  were 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  Of 
  

  

  