﻿False 
  Atavism 
  193 
  

  

  paths, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  at 
  Erfurt 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   numerous 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  cress 
  or 
  Tro- 
  

   paeolum. 
  

  

  Each 
  variety 
  is 
  purified 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  it 
  

   shows 
  its 
  characters 
  most 
  clearly. 
  With 
  vege- 
  

   tables, 
  this 
  is 
  done 
  long 
  before 
  flowering, 
  but 
  

   with 
  flowers 
  only 
  when 
  in 
  full 
  bloom, 
  and 
  with 
  

   fruits, 
  usually 
  after 
  fertilization 
  has 
  been 
  ac- 
  

   complished. 
  It 
  needs 
  no 
  demonstration 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  this 
  difference 
  in 
  method 
  must 
  result 
  in 
  

   very 
  diverging 
  degrees 
  of 
  purity. 
  

  

  We 
  will 
  confine 
  ourselves 
  to 
  a 
  consideration 
  

   of 
  the 
  flowers, 
  and 
  ask 
  what 
  degree 
  of 
  purity 
  

   may 
  be 
  expected 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  elimination 
  

   of 
  the 
  anomalous 
  plants 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   blooming. 
  

  

  Now 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  colors 
  and 
  forms 
  

   of 
  the 
  flowers 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  clearly 
  distin- 
  

   guished, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  fully 
  displayed. 
  Fur- 
  

   thermore 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  destroy 
  every 
  

   single 
  aberrant 
  specimen 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  seen. 
  

   On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  gardener 
  must 
  wait 
  until 
  

   all 
  or 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  va- 
  

   riety 
  have 
  displayed 
  their 
  characters, 
  as 
  

   only 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  can 
  all 
  diverging 
  specimens 
  

   be 
  eliminated 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  inspection. 
  Un- 
  

   fortunately 
  the 
  insects 
  do 
  not 
  wait 
  for 
  this 
  

   selection. 
  They 
  fertilize 
  the 
  flowers 
  from 
  the 
  

   beginning, 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  will 
  have 
  been 
  done 
  

  

  