﻿402 
  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  a 
  method 
  will 
  be 
  discovered 
  of 
  arbitrarily 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  such 
  conversions, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  the 
  easi- 
  

   est 
  way 
  to 
  attain 
  artificial 
  mutations 
  may 
  lie 
  

   concealed 
  here. 
  But 
  as 
  yet 
  not 
  the 
  slightest 
  in- 
  

   dication 
  of 
  this 
  possibility 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found, 
  save 
  

   the 
  fallacious 
  conclusions 
  drawn 
  from 
  too 
  

   superficial 
  observations. 
  

  

  Unfortunately 
  the 
  poor 
  strains 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  

   interesting. 
  Their 
  chance 
  of 
  producing 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  instances 
  of 
  the 
  anomaly 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   cultivated 
  is 
  too 
  small. 
  Exceptions 
  to 
  this 
  rule 
  

   are 
  only 
  afforded 
  by 
  those 
  curious 
  and 
  rare 
  

   anomalies, 
  which 
  command 
  general 
  attention, 
  

   and 
  of 
  which, 
  therefore, 
  instances 
  are 
  always 
  

   welcome. 
  In 
  such 
  cases 
  they 
  are 
  searched 
  for 
  

   with 
  perseverance, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  their 
  rarity 
  

   impresses 
  itself 
  strongly 
  on 
  our 
  mind. 
  

  

  Twisted 
  stems 
  are 
  selected 
  as 
  a 
  first 
  example. 
  

   This 
  monstrosity, 
  called 
  biastrepsis, 
  consists 
  of 
  

   strongly 
  marked 
  torsions 
  and 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  many 
  

   species 
  with 
  decussate 
  leaves, 
  though 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  

   it 
  is 
  very 
  rare. 
  Two 
  instances 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   generally 
  known, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  valerian 
  

   (Valeriana 
  officinalis) 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  cultivated 
  

   and 
  wild 
  sorts 
  of 
  teasels 
  (Dipsacus 
  fullonum, 
  D. 
  

   sylvestris, 
  and 
  others). 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  

   cultivated 
  during 
  upwards 
  of 
  fifteen 
  years, 
  but 
  

   with 
  contradictory 
  results. 
  The 
  valerian 
  is 
  a 
  

   perennial 
  herb, 
  multiplying 
  itself 
  yearly 
  by 
  

  

  