﻿362 
  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  not 
  apparent 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  each 
  plant 
  produces 
  

   only 
  one 
  or 
  two, 
  or, 
  at 
  most, 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  deviation. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  any 
  ex- 
  

   isting 
  regularity 
  must 
  betray 
  itself, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  instances 
  is 
  produced. 
  A 
  

   rule 
  of 
  periodicity 
  becomes 
  most 
  clearly 
  mani- 
  

   fest 
  in 
  such 
  cases. 
  

  

  This 
  rule 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  no 
  other 
  race 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  

   undoubted 
  and 
  evident 
  manner 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  

   " 
  five-leaved 
  " 
  clover. 
  Evidently 
  the 
  several 
  

   degrees 
  of 
  deviation, 
  going 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  seven 
  

   leaflets, 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  responses 
  to 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  degrees 
  of 
  variation, 
  and 
  their 
  distribution 
  

   over 
  the 
  stems 
  and 
  branches, 
  or 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  

   plant, 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  the 
  manifestation 
  of 
  

   the 
  ever-changing 
  internal 
  tendency 
  to 
  vary. 
  

  

  Considered 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  my 
  plants 
  

   always 
  showed 
  a 
  definite 
  periodicity 
  in 
  this 
  dis- 
  

   tribution, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  plant. 
  

   Each 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  branches, 
  

   begin 
  with 
  atavistic 
  leaves 
  or 
  with 
  slight 
  devia- 
  

   tions. 
  These 
  are 
  succeeded 
  by 
  greater 
  devia- 
  

   tions, 
  but 
  only 
  tlie 
  strongest 
  axes 
  show 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  seven 
  leaflets 
  on 
  a 
  stalk. 
  This 
  ordinarily 
  

   does 
  not 
  occur 
  before 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  development 
  

   is 
  reached, 
  and 
  often 
  only 
  towards 
  its 
  close. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  deviation 
  diminishes 
  rapidly, 
  return- 
  

   ing 
  often 
  to 
  atavistic 
  leaves 
  at 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  

   stem 
  or 
  branch. 
  I 
  give 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  