﻿Origin 
  of 
  Peloric 
  Toadflax 
  475 
  

  

  Three 
  ways 
  were 
  open 
  to 
  continue 
  my 
  exper- 
  

   iment. 
  The 
  first 
  was 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  abundant 
  

   harvest 
  from 
  the 
  parent-plants 
  of 
  the 
  mutation. 
  

   It 
  seemed 
  possible 
  to 
  compare 
  the 
  numerical 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  mutated 
  seeds 
  with 
  those 
  

   of 
  normal 
  plants. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  

   this 
  proportion 
  I 
  sowed 
  the 
  greatest 
  part 
  of 
  

   my 
  10 
  cu. 
  cm. 
  of 
  seed 
  and 
  planted 
  some 
  2000 
  

   young 
  plants 
  in 
  little 
  pots 
  with 
  well-manured 
  

   soil. 
  I 
  got 
  some 
  1750 
  flowering 
  plants 
  and 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  among 
  them 
  16 
  wholly 
  peloric 
  individ- 
  

   uals. 
  The 
  numerical 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  muta- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  therefore 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  to 
  be 
  

   calculated 
  equal 
  to 
  about 
  \% 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  crop. 
  

  

  This 
  figure 
  is 
  of 
  some 
  importance. 
  For 
  it 
  

   shows 
  that 
  the 
  chance 
  of 
  finding 
  mutations 
  

   requires 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  large 
  groups 
  of 
  indi- 
  

   viduals. 
  One. 
  plant 
  in 
  each 
  hundred 
  may 
  mu- 
  

   tate, 
  and 
  cultures 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  must 
  therefore 
  be 
  entirely 
  dependent 
  on 
  

   chance 
  for 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  new 
  forms, 
  even 
  

   if 
  such 
  should 
  accidentally 
  have 
  been 
  produced 
  

   and 
  lay 
  dormant 
  in 
  the 
  seed. 
  In 
  other 
  cases 
  

   mutations 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  numerous, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  

   contrary, 
  more 
  rare. 
  But 
  the 
  chance 
  of 
  imita- 
  

   tive 
  changes 
  in 
  larger 
  numbers 
  is 
  manifestly 
  

   much 
  reduced 
  by 
  this 
  experiment, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  

   be 
  expected 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   the 
  culture. 
  

  

  