﻿388 
  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  parent 
  abnormalities, 
  which 
  may 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  

   experiments. 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  may 
  take 
  a 
  broader 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  pe- 
  

   riod 
  of 
  sensibility. 
  Evidently 
  the 
  response 
  to 
  

   external 
  influences 
  will 
  be 
  greater 
  the 
  younger 
  

   the 
  organ. 
  Sensibility 
  will 
  gradually 
  diminish, 
  

   and 
  the 
  phenomena 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  part 
  

   of 
  this 
  period 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  the 
  last 
  re- 
  

   mainder 
  of 
  a 
  reaction 
  which 
  previously 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  much 
  stronger 
  and 
  much 
  readier, 
  pro- 
  

   viding 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  isolate 
  them 
  

   from, 
  and 
  contrast 
  them 
  with, 
  the 
  other 
  re- 
  

   sponses 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  plant. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  light 
  thus 
  cast 
  upon 
  the 
  question, 
  

   we 
  may 
  conclude 
  that 
  the 
  sensitive 
  period 
  com- 
  

   mences 
  not 
  only 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  germi- 
  

   nation, 
  but 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  considered 
  to 
  include 
  

   the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  itself. 
  From 
  the 
  moment 
  

   of 
  fertilization 
  and 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  

   young 
  embryo 
  the 
  development 
  must 
  be 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  external 
  agencies 
  

   which 
  determine 
  the 
  direction 
  it 
  will 
  take 
  and 
  

   the 
  degree 
  of 
  development 
  it 
  will 
  finally 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  acquire. 
  Probably 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  

   the 
  embryo, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  ripening 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  

   correspond 
  exactly 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  

   sensibility. 
  This 
  period 
  is 
  only 
  interrupted 
  

   during 
  the 
  resting 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  seed, 
  to 
  be 
  re- 
  

   peated 
  in 
  germination. 
  Afterwards 
  the 
  sensi- 
  

  

  