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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  plements 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  only 
  im- 
  

   perfectly 
  developed. 
  This 
  completion 
  ordinar- 
  

   ily 
  occurs 
  in 
  all 
  possible 
  degrees 
  and 
  thus 
  

   causes 
  the 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  variability. 
  Nev- 
  

   ertheless 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  wanting, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   the 
  double 
  stocks 
  only 
  the 
  two 
  extremes 
  are 
  

   present. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  rather 
  difficult 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  clear 
  conception 
  

   of 
  the 
  substitution, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   designate 
  the 
  peculiar 
  relationship 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  characters 
  forming 
  such 
  a 
  pair 
  by 
  a 
  simple 
  

   name. 
  They 
  might 
  be 
  termed 
  alternating, 
  if 
  

   only 
  it 
  were 
  clearly 
  understood 
  that 
  the 
  alterna- 
  

   tion 
  may 
  be 
  complete, 
  or 
  incomplete 
  in 
  all 
  de- 
  

   grees. 
  Complete 
  alternation 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  

   the 
  extremes, 
  the 
  incomplete 
  condition 
  in 
  the 
  

   intermediate 
  states. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  

   stocks, 
  the 
  first 
  prevails, 
  while 
  in 
  other 
  cases, 
  as 
  

   with 
  the 
  poppies, 
  the 
  very 
  extremes 
  are 
  only 
  

   rarely 
  met 
  with. 
  

  

  Taking 
  such 
  an 
  alternation 
  as 
  a 
  real 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  the 
  ever-sporting 
  varieties, 
  a 
  wide 
  

   range 
  of 
  analogous 
  cases 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  revealed 
  

   among 
  the 
  normal 
  qualities 
  of 
  wild 
  plants. 
  Al- 
  

   ternation 
  is 
  here 
  almost 
  universal. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  ca- 
  

   pacity 
  of 
  young 
  organs 
  to 
  develop 
  in 
  two 
  diverg- 
  

   ing 
  directions. 
  The 
  definitive 
  choice 
  must 
  be 
  

   made 
  in 
  extreme 
  youth, 
  or 
  often 
  at 
  a 
  relatively 
  

   late 
  period 
  of 
  development. 
  Once 
  made, 
  this 
  

  

  