﻿Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  135 
  

  

  Burbank 
  of 
  Santa 
  Rosa, 
  California, 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  

   very 
  curious 
  variety, 
  the 
  kernel 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  fully 
  

   developed 
  but 
  naked, 
  no 
  hard 
  substance 
  inter- 
  

   vening 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  pulp. 
  

  

  More 
  curious 
  still 
  are 
  the 
  unbranched 
  varie- 
  

   ties 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  stem, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  corn 
  or 
  maize 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fir. 
  

   Fir-trees 
  of 
  some 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  meters 
  in 
  height 
  

   without 
  a 
  single 
  branch, 
  wholly 
  naked 
  and 
  bear- 
  

   ing 
  leaves 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  shoots 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  year's 
  

   growth 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  may 
  be 
  seen. 
  Of 
  

   course 
  they 
  cannot 
  bear 
  seed, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  with 
  

   the 
  sterile 
  maize, 
  which 
  never 
  produces 
  any 
  

   seed-spikes 
  or 
  staminate 
  flowers. 
  Other 
  seed- 
  

   less 
  varieties 
  can 
  be 
  propagated 
  by 
  buds 
  ; 
  their 
  

   origin 
  is 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  unknown, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  

   sure 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  classified 
  with 
  

   the 
  constant 
  or 
  with 
  the 
  inconstant 
  varieties. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  curious 
  loss 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  starch 
  in 
  the 
  

   grains 
  of 
  the 
  sugar-corn 
  and 
  the 
  sugar-peas. 
  

   It 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  sugar 
  or 
  some 
  allied 
  substance 
  

   (dextrine). 
  Equally 
  remarkable 
  is 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  

   the 
  runners 
  in 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  Gaillon 
  " 
  straw- 
  

   berries. 
  

  

  Among 
  trees 
  the 
  pendulous 
  or 
  weeping, 
  and 
  

   the 
  broomlike 
  or 
  fastigiate 
  forms 
  are 
  very 
  

   marked 
  varieties, 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  species 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  quite 
  different 
  orders. 
  The 
  ash, 
  the 
  

   beach, 
  some 
  willows, 
  many 
  other 
  trees 
  and 
  some 
  

  

  