﻿352 
  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  liable 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  strain 
  to 
  an 
  average 
  condi- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  The 
  production 
  of 
  varietal 
  and 
  of 
  atavistic 
  

   leaves 
  is 
  dependent 
  to 
  a 
  high 
  degree 
  on 
  

   external 
  conditions. 
  It 
  agrees 
  with 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  rule, 
  that 
  favorable 
  circumstances 
  

   strengthen 
  the 
  varietal 
  peculiarities, 
  while 
  un- 
  

   favorable 
  conditions 
  increase 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   parts 
  with 
  the 
  atavistic 
  attribute. 
  These 
  in- 
  

   fluences 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  have 
  their 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  

   single 
  individuals, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  generations 
  

   growing 
  from 
  their 
  seed. 
  I 
  cannot 
  cite 
  here 
  all 
  

   the 
  experimental 
  material, 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  illustra- 
  

   tive 
  example 
  may 
  be 
  given. 
  I 
  divided 
  a 
  strong 
  

   individual 
  into 
  two 
  parts, 
  planted 
  one 
  in 
  rich 
  

   soil 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  poor 
  sand, 
  and 
  had 
  both 
  

   pollinated 
  by 
  bees 
  with 
  the 
  pollen 
  of 
  some 
  nor- 
  

   mal 
  individuals 
  of 
  my 
  variety 
  growing 
  between 
  

   them. 
  The 
  seeds 
  of 
  both 
  were 
  saved 
  and 
  sown 
  

   separately, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  lots 
  of 
  offspring 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  close 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  under 
  the 
  same 
  ex- 
  

   ternal 
  conditions. 
  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  no 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  was 
  seen, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  plants 
  

   had 
  unfolded 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  leaves, 
  the 
  progeny 
  

   of 
  the 
  better 
  nourished 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  parent-plant 
  

   showed 
  a 
  manifest 
  advance. 
  This 
  difference 
  

   increased 
  rapidly 
  and 
  was 
  easily 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   beds, 
  even 
  before 
  the 
  flowering 
  period. 
  

  

  This 
  experience 
  probably 
  gives 
  an 
  explana- 
  

  

  