﻿C. 
  EETBOGEADE 
  VAEIETIES 
  

   LECTURE 
  V 
  

  

  CHARACTERS 
  OF 
  RETROGRADE 
  VARIETIES 
  

  

  Every 
  one 
  admires 
  the 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  gar- 
  

   den-flowers, 
  and 
  their 
  diversity 
  of 
  color 
  and 
  

   form. 
  All 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  have 
  contributed 
  

   to 
  their 
  number 
  and 
  every 
  taste 
  can 
  find 
  its 
  

   preference 
  among 
  them. 
  New 
  forms 
  produced 
  

   by 
  the 
  skill 
  of 
  the 
  breeder 
  are 
  introduced 
  every 
  

   year. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  mostly 
  by 
  crossing 
  

   and 
  intermingling 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  introduced 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  genus. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   cases 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  our 
  flowers 
  is 
  so 
  old 
  that 
  

   their 
  hybrid 
  origin 
  is 
  forgotten, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  the 
  pansies. 
  Hybridizations 
  are 
  still 
  going 
  

   on 
  in 
  other 
  groups 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale, 
  and 
  new 
  

   forms 
  are 
  openly 
  claimed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  hybrid 
  origin. 
  

  

  Breeders 
  and 
  amateurs 
  generally 
  have 
  more 
  

   interest 
  in 
  the 
  results 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  

   which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  about, 
  Excel- 
  

   lent 
  flowers 
  and 
  fruit 
  recommend 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  and 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  reason 
  for 
  in- 
  

  

  121 
  

  

  