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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  more 
  divergent 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  ones 
  returning 
  to 
  

   less 
  differentiated 
  forms. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  on 
  a 
  given 
  stem 
  the 
  group 
  

   of 
  deviating 
  leaves 
  will 
  be 
  extended 
  upward 
  and 
  

   downward, 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   these 
  organs. 
  This 
  shows 
  that 
  a 
  stem, 
  or 
  even 
  

   a 
  plant, 
  promises 
  a 
  higher 
  degree 
  of 
  differentia- 
  

   tion 
  if 
  it 
  commences 
  with 
  its 
  aberration 
  earlier. 
  

   Hence 
  it 
  becomes 
  possible 
  to 
  discern 
  the 
  most 
  

   promising 
  individuals 
  in 
  early 
  youth, 
  and 
  this 
  

   conclusion 
  leads 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  easy 
  and 
  reliable 
  

   method 
  of 
  selection, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  expressed 
  

   simply 
  as 
  follows: 
  the 
  seedlings 
  which 
  com- 
  

   mence 
  earliest 
  with 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  four- 
  and 
  

   five-foliolate 
  leaves 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  

   selected 
  for 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  the 
  race. 
  And 
  

   it 
  is 
  easily 
  seen 
  that 
  this 
  rule 
  agrees 
  with 
  that 
  

   given 
  above, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  followed 
  in 
  my 
  

   pedigree-culture. 
  

  

  Furthermore 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  agreement 
  between 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  periodicity 
  

   and 
  the 
  responses 
  of 
  the 
  deviations 
  to 
  nourish- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  other 
  conditions 
  of 
  life. 
  Weak 
  plants 
  

   only 
  produce 
  low 
  degrees 
  of 
  deviation, 
  the 
  

   stronger 
  the 
  individual 
  becomes, 
  the 
  higher 
  it 
  

   reaches 
  in 
  the 
  scale 
  of 
  differentiation, 
  and 
  the 
  

   more 
  often 
  it 
  develops 
  leaves 
  with 
  five 
  or 
  more 
  

   blades. 
  Whether 
  weakness 
  or 
  strength 
  are 
  de- 
  

   rived 
  from 
  outer 
  causes, 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  internal 
  

  

  