﻿Latent 
  Characters 
  229 
  

  

  been 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  stem. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  remained 
  

   true 
  to 
  the 
  varietal 
  type 
  and 
  bore 
  only 
  green 
  

   spikes. 
  Others 
  reverted 
  wholly 
  or 
  partially 
  to 
  

   the 
  production 
  of 
  normal 
  flowers. 
  Some 
  

   branches 
  bore 
  these 
  only, 
  others 
  had 
  spikes 
  and 
  

   flowers 
  on 
  neighboring 
  twigs, 
  and 
  in 
  still 
  other 
  

   instances 
  little 
  spikes 
  had 
  been 
  modified 
  in 
  such 
  

   manner 
  that 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  well 
  developed 
  flow- 
  

   er 
  was 
  preceded 
  by 
  some 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  ear. 
  

  

  The 
  proof 
  that 
  this 
  retrograde 
  modification 
  

   was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  character 
  in 
  the 
  

   latent 
  state 
  was 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  flow- 
  

   ers. 
  If 
  the 
  reverted 
  bud 
  had 
  only 
  lost 
  the 
  

   power 
  of 
  producing 
  spikes, 
  they 
  would 
  evident- 
  

   ly 
  simply 
  have 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  characteristics 
  

   of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  species, 
  and 
  their 
  color 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  a 
  pale 
  pink. 
  Instead 
  of 
  this, 
  all 
  

   flowers 
  displayed 
  corollas 
  of 
  a 
  deep 
  brown. 
  

   They 
  obviously 
  reverted 
  to 
  their 
  special 
  prog- 
  

   enitor, 
  the 
  chance 
  variety 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  

   sprung, 
  and 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  prototype 
  of 
  the 
  

   species. 
  Of 
  course 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  as- 
  

   certain 
  from 
  which 
  variety 
  the 
  plant 
  had 
  really 
  

   originated, 
  but 
  the 
  reproduction 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  

   clearly 
  defined 
  varietal 
  mark 
  is 
  in 
  itself 
  proof 
  

   enough 
  of 
  their 
  origin, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  latency 
  of 
  the 
  

   dark 
  brown 
  flower-color 
  in 
  this 
  special 
  case. 
  

  

  A 
  still 
  better 
  proof 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  a 
  new 
  type 
  

   of 
  green 
  dahlia. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  green 
  dahlia 
  

  

  