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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  each 
  of 
  them 
  originally 
  had 
  a 
  congru- 
  

   ent 
  single-flowered 
  form, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  seed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  the 
  double 
  

   stocks 
  now 
  are 
  yearly. 
  If 
  this 
  assumption 
  is 
  

   right, 
  the 
  corresponding 
  fertile 
  line 
  is 
  now 
  lost 
  ; 
  

   it 
  has 
  perhaps 
  died 
  out, 
  or 
  been 
  masked. 
  But 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  absolutely 
  impossible 
  that 
  such 
  strains 
  

   might 
  one 
  day 
  be 
  discovered 
  for 
  one 
  or 
  another 
  

   of 
  these 
  now 
  sterile 
  varieties. 
  

  

  Returning 
  to 
  the 
  stocks 
  we 
  are 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  con- 
  

   ception 
  that 
  some 
  varieties 
  are 
  absolutely 
  sin- 
  

   gle, 
  while 
  others 
  consist 
  of 
  both 
  single-flowered 
  

   and 
  double-flowered 
  individuals. 
  The 
  single 
  

   varieties 
  are 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  this 
  character 
  true 
  

   to 
  the 
  original 
  wild 
  type. 
  They 
  never 
  give 
  seed 
  

   which 
  results 
  in 
  doubles, 
  providing 
  all 
  inter- 
  

   crossing 
  is 
  excluded. 
  The 
  other 
  varieties 
  are 
  

   ever-sporting, 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  this 
  term 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  assumed, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  restriction 
  that 
  

   the 
  sports 
  are 
  exclusively 
  one-sided, 
  and 
  never 
  

   return, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  absolute 
  sterility. 
  

  

  The 
  oldest 
  double 
  varieties 
  of 
  stocks 
  have 
  at- 
  

   tained 
  an 
  age 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  and 
  more. 
  During 
  

   all 
  this 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  continuous 
  pedi- 
  

   gree 
  of 
  fertile 
  and 
  single-flowered 
  individuals, 
  

   throwing 
  off 
  in 
  each 
  generation 
  a 
  definite 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  doubles. 
  This 
  ratio 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  depend- 
  

   ent 
  on 
  chance 
  or 
  accident, 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  even 
  variable 
  

   to 
  a 
  remarkable 
  degree. 
  Quite 
  on 
  the 
  contrary 
  

  

  