﻿260 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  ations 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  compare 
  them 
  with 
  

   one 
  another, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  find 
  any 
  difference. 
  

   The 
  most 
  interesting 
  point 
  however, 
  is 
  the 
  like- 
  

   ness 
  between 
  the 
  first 
  generation, 
  which 
  ob- 
  

   viously 
  must 
  combine 
  in 
  its 
  internal 
  structure 
  

   the 
  units 
  of 
  both 
  parents, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  

   later 
  generations 
  which 
  are 
  only 
  of 
  a 
  derivative 
  

   nature. 
  Next 
  to 
  this 
  stands 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  

   each 
  generation 
  all 
  individuals 
  are 
  alike. 
  No 
  

   reversion 
  to 
  the 
  parental 
  forms 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  

   whole 
  type 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  single 
  characteristics 
  has 
  

   ever 
  been 
  observed, 
  though 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  some 
  

   hundreds, 
  and 
  the 
  spikes 
  and 
  flowers 
  of 
  some 
  

   150 
  individual 
  plants 
  have 
  been 
  carefully 
  ex- 
  

   amined. 
  No 
  segregation 
  or 
  splitting 
  up 
  takes 
  

   place. 
  

  

  Here 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  clear, 
  undoubted 
  and 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  simple, 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  true 
  and 
  pure 
  species- 
  

   hybrid. 
  No 
  occurrence 
  of 
  possible 
  varietal 
  

   characteristics 
  obscures 
  the 
  result, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect 
  this 
  hybrid 
  stands 
  out 
  much 
  more 
  

   clearly 
  than 
  all 
  those 
  between 
  garden-plants, 
  

   where 
  varietal 
  marks 
  nearly 
  always 
  play 
  a 
  most 
  

   important 
  part. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  breeder's 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  our 
  hybrid 
  

   Oenothera 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  distinct 
  gain, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  

   for 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  its 
  propagation. 
  But 
  to 
  en- 
  

   large 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  varieties 
  this 
  simple 
  and 
  

   stable 
  form 
  would 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  treated 
  anew, 
  by 
  

  

  