﻿Poli/cephalic 
  Poppies 
  387 
  

  

  beds, 
  taking 
  care 
  that 
  the 
  pots 
  were 
  removed, 
  

   but 
  the 
  balls 
  of 
  earth 
  not 
  broken. 
  

  

  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  this 
  treatment 
  the 
  plants 
  

   became 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  strong, 
  with 
  luxuriant 
  

   foliage 
  and 
  relatively 
  numerous 
  large 
  flowers 
  

   and 
  fruits. 
  But 
  almost 
  without 
  exception 
  they 
  

   were 
  poor 
  in 
  anomalous 
  stamens, 
  at 
  least 
  so, 
  on 
  

   the 
  terminal 
  heads. 
  On 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  some 
  70 
  plants 
  

   more 
  than 
  50 
  had 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  a 
  crown 
  of 
  sec- 
  

   ondary 
  capsules, 
  while 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  packet 
  of 
  

   seed 
  the 
  control-plants 
  gave 
  by 
  equal 
  number 
  

   more 
  than 
  half-filled 
  crowns 
  on 
  all 
  plants 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  five 
  weak 
  specimens. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  curious 
  to 
  compare 
  such 
  artificially 
  in- 
  

   jured 
  plants 
  with 
  the 
  ordinary 
  cultures. 
  

   Strong 
  stems 
  and 
  heavy 
  fruits, 
  .which 
  otherwise 
  

   are 
  always 
  indicative 
  of 
  showy 
  crowns, 
  now 
  

   bear 
  fruits 
  wholly 
  or 
  nearly 
  destitute 
  of 
  any 
  

   anomalous 
  change. 
  The 
  commonly 
  prevailing 
  

   rule 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  reversed, 
  showing 
  thereby 
  the 
  

   possibility 
  of 
  abolishing 
  the 
  correlation 
  between 
  

   individual 
  strength 
  and 
  anomaly 
  by 
  an 
  artificial 
  

   encroachment 
  upon 
  the 
  normal 
  conditions. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  these 
  considerations 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  clearly 
  give 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  

   period 
  of 
  sensibility 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  weeks 
  of 
  

   the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  for 
  the 
  terminal 
  flower. 
  

   This 
  knowledge 
  enables 
  us 
  to 
  explain 
  many 
  ap- 
  

  

  