﻿Latent 
  Characters 
  219 
  

  

  callus. 
  The 
  best 
  instance 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  elms 
  

   and 
  by 
  the 
  horse-chestnut. 
  If 
  the 
  whole 
  tree 
  is 
  

   hewn 
  down 
  the 
  trunk 
  tries 
  to 
  repair 
  the 
  injury 
  

   by 
  producing 
  small 
  granulations 
  of 
  tissue 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  wood 
  and 
  the 
  bark, 
  which 
  gradually 
  

   coalesce 
  while 
  becoming 
  larger. 
  From 
  this 
  new 
  

   ring 
  of 
  living 
  matter 
  innumerable 
  buds 
  arise, 
  

   that 
  expand 
  into 
  leafy 
  branches, 
  showing 
  

   clearly 
  that 
  the 
  old 
  trunk 
  possesses, 
  in 
  a 
  latent 
  

   state, 
  all 
  the 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  crown. 
  In- 
  

   deed, 
  such 
  injured 
  stumps 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  

   production 
  of 
  copses 
  and 
  hedges. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  hitherto 
  recorded 
  cases 
  of 
  latency 
  

   have 
  this 
  in 
  common, 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  become 
  ac- 
  

   tive 
  during 
  the 
  life-time 
  of 
  any 
  given 
  individual 
  

   once, 
  or 
  oftener. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  type 
  of 
  latency. 
  

  

  Besides 
  this 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  form 
  of 
  latent 
  

   characters, 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  awakening 
  power 
  is 
  

   extremely 
  limited, 
  or 
  wholly 
  absent. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   systematic 
  latency, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be- 
  

   long 
  to 
  species 
  and 
  varieties 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  latency 
  belongs 
  to 
  individuals. 
  

   As 
  this 
  individual 
  latency 
  may 
  show 
  itself 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  plant, 
  the 
  

   first 
  may 
  only 
  become 
  active 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  

   during 
  the 
  whole 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  variety 
  or 
  the 
  

   species. 
  It 
  has 
  no 
  regular 
  period 
  of 
  activity, 
  

   nor 
  may 
  it 
  be 
  incited 
  by 
  artificial 
  stimulation. 
  

  

  