﻿Mutations 
  in 
  Horticulture 
  611 
  

  

  the 
  year 
  1590 
  from 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  C. 
  majus. 
  

   Nevertheless, 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  ascertained 
  by 
  

   Sprenger, 
  and 
  some 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  a 
  possible 
  intro- 
  

   duction 
  from 
  elsewhere 
  might 
  arise. 
  If 
  not, 
  

   then 
  the 
  mutation 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  sudden, 
  oc- 
  

   curring 
  without 
  visible 
  preparation 
  and 
  without 
  

   the 
  appearance 
  of 
  intermediates. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  very 
  first, 
  the 
  cut-leaved 
  celandine 
  

   has 
  been 
  constant 
  from 
  seed. 
  Or 
  at 
  least 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  propagated 
  by 
  seed 
  largely 
  and 
  without 
  

   difficulty. 
  Nothing, 
  however, 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  it 
  

   in 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  years 
  of 
  its 
  existence. 
  Later 
  

   careful 
  tests 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  Miller, 
  Rose 
  and 
  

   others 
  and 
  later 
  by 
  myself, 
  which 
  have 
  shown 
  

   its 
  stability 
  to 
  be 
  absolute 
  and 
  without 
  rever- 
  

   sion, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  probably 
  been 
  so 
  from 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning. 
  The 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  constancy 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  its 
  

   specific 
  distinction 
  by 
  Miller, 
  as 
  varieties 
  

   were 
  in 
  his 
  time 
  universally, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  time 
  not 
  rarely, 
  though 
  erroneously, 
  be- 
  

   lieved 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  stable 
  than 
  true 
  species. 
  

  

  Before 
  leaving 
  the 
  laciniate 
  celandine 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  noted 
  that 
  in 
  crosses 
  with 
  C. 
  majus 
  it 
  follows 
  

   the 
  law 
  of 
  Mendel, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  should 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  retrograde 
  variety, 
  the 
  more 
  

   so, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  treated 
  as 
  such 
  from 
  a 
  mor- 
  

   phological 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  by 
  Stahl 
  and 
  others. 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  an 
  enumeration 
  of 
  those 
  

   cases 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  

  

  