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  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  tion 
  of 
  the 
  stability 
  of 
  pure 
  strains. 
  Coming 
  

   now 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  we 
  may 
  

   consider 
  those 
  cases 
  of 
  reversion 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  recorded 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  which 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  have 
  been 
  considered 
  as 
  direct 
  proofs 
  of 
  

   the 
  varietal 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  reverting 
  form. 
  

   Reversion 
  means 
  the 
  falling 
  back 
  or 
  returning 
  

   to 
  another 
  type, 
  and 
  the 
  word 
  itself 
  expresses 
  

   the 
  idea 
  that 
  this 
  latter 
  type 
  is 
  the 
  form 
  from 
  

   which 
  the 
  variety 
  has 
  arisen. 
  

  

  Some 
  instances 
  of 
  atavism 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  are 
  

   well 
  known, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  repeated 
  by 
  in- 
  

   dividuals 
  that 
  are 
  multiplied 
  by 
  buds 
  or 
  by 
  

   grafting. 
  Before 
  looking 
  attentively 
  into 
  the 
  

   different 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  cases 
  of 
  rare 
  

   reversions 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  advisable 
  to 
  quote 
  a 
  few 
  

   examples. 
  

  

  The 
  flowering-currant 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  

   or 
  North 
  American 
  scarlet 
  ribes 
  (Ribes 
  san- 
  

   guineum}, 
  a 
  very 
  popular 
  ornamental 
  shrub, 
  

   will 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  example. 
  It 
  is 
  prized 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  its 
  brilliant 
  red 
  racemes 
  of 
  flowers 
  

   which 
  blossom 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  before 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  From 
  this 
  species 
  a 
  

   white 
  form 
  has 
  arisen, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  wide- 
  

   ly 
  cultivated 
  one, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  highly 
  prized 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  its 
  pale 
  flowers. 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  

   pure 
  white, 
  but 
  have 
  retained 
  a 
  faint 
  reddish 
  

   hue. 
  The 
  young 
  twigs 
  and 
  the 
  stalks 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  