﻿158 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  variety 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  as 
  stable 
  as 
  the 
  radiate 
  

   species. 
  

  

  The 
  radiate 
  varieties 
  of 
  marigold, 
  quoted 
  in 
  a 
  

   former 
  lecture, 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  equally 
  constant, 
  

   when 
  growing 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  their 
  prototypes. 
  

   I 
  sowed 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  plant 
  of 
  the 
  radiate 
  

   form 
  of 
  Bidens 
  cernua, 
  and 
  found 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   seedlings 
  came 
  true, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  year 
  I 
  had 
  

   from 
  their 
  seed 
  between 
  2000 
  and 
  3000 
  flower- 
  

   ing 
  individuals, 
  all 
  equally 
  radiate. 
  Many 
  

   species 
  of 
  composites 
  have 
  been 
  tried, 
  and 
  they 
  

   are 
  all 
  constant. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  rare 
  sports 
  

   of 
  this 
  kind 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  by 
  Murr 
  and 
  

   other 
  authors. 
  

  

  Many 
  kinds 
  of 
  vegetables 
  and 
  of 
  fruits 
  give 
  

   instances 
  of 
  stability. 
  White 
  strawberries, 
  

   green 
  grapes, 
  white 
  currants, 
  crisped 
  lettuce, 
  

   crisped 
  parsley 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  crisped 
  forms 
  

   may 
  be 
  cited. 
  The 
  spinage 
  without 
  prickles 
  is 
  

   a 
  widely 
  known 
  instance. 
  White-flowered 
  flax 
  

   never 
  reverts 
  to 
  the 
  blue 
  prototype, 
  if 
  kept 
  pure. 
  

   Sugar-peas 
  and 
  sugar-corn 
  afford 
  further 
  in- 
  

   stances. 
  Strawberries 
  without 
  runners 
  have 
  

   come 
  true 
  from 
  seed 
  ever 
  since 
  their 
  first 
  ap- 
  

   pearance, 
  over 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  Many 
  garden-varieties, 
  the 
  stability 
  of 
  which 
  

   under 
  ordinary 
  circumstances 
  is 
  doubtful, 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  their 
  being 
  sown 
  too 
  close 
  to 
  other 
  va- 
  

   rieties 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  have 
  been 
  tested 
  in 
  

  

  