﻿422 
  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  type 
  was 
  only 
  temporarily 
  lost, 
  but 
  bound 
  to 
  

   return 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  new 
  trials 
  are 
  made. 
  

  

  This 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  variability 
  between 
  def- 
  

   inite 
  limits 
  is 
  coupled 
  with 
  a 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  

   sensibility 
  and 
  adequateness 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  di- 
  

   verging 
  experiments. 
  Our 
  tricotylous 
  double 
  

   races 
  are 
  perhaps 
  more 
  sensitive 
  to 
  selection 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  variety, 
  and 
  equally 
  dependent 
  

   on 
  outer 
  circumstances. 
  Here, 
  however, 
  I 
  will 
  

   limit 
  myself 
  to 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  point. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  second 
  generation 
  after 
  the 
  isolation 
  of 
  

   stray 
  tricotylous 
  seedlings 
  the 
  average 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  is 
  usually 
  reached, 
  but 
  only 
  

   by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  strongest 
  individuals, 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  

   continue 
  the 
  race, 
  sowing 
  or 
  planting 
  only 
  from 
  

   their 
  offspring, 
  the 
  next 
  generation 
  will 
  show 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  type 
  of 
  variability, 
  going 
  upwards 
  

   in 
  some 
  and 
  downwards 
  in 
  other 
  instances. 
  

   With 
  the 
  Pliacelia 
  and 
  the 
  mercury 
  and 
  some 
  

   others 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  luck 
  in 
  this 
  one 
  generation 
  

   to 
  reach 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  nearly 
  90$ 
  of 
  tricotyl- 
  

   ous 
  seedlings, 
  a 
  figure 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  

   normal 
  dicotylous 
  type 
  had 
  already 
  become 
  

   rare 
  in 
  the 
  race. 
  In 
  other 
  cases 
  80$ 
  or 
  

   nearly 
  80$ 
  was 
  easily 
  attained. 
  Any 
  further 
  

   divergence 
  from 
  the 
  average 
  would 
  have 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  very 
  much 
  larger 
  sowings, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   selection 
  between 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  parents 
  

   being 
  only 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  high 
  degree 
  once 
  

  

  