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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  strike 
  us 
  as 
  something 
  unnatural. 
  The 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  between 
  cause 
  and 
  effect, 
  is 
  in 
  truth 
  other 
  

   than 
  it 
  might 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  first 
  view, 
  but 
  nev- 
  

   ertheless 
  it 
  exists, 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  impor- 
  

   tance. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  same 
  conclusion 
  we 
  may 
  further 
  

   deduce 
  some 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  hereditary 
  

   races 
  characterized 
  by 
  monstrosities. 
  It 
  is 
  

   quite 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  twisted 
  teasels 
  are 
  in- 
  

   adequate 
  for 
  the 
  struggle 
  with 
  their 
  tall 
  con- 
  

   geners, 
  or 
  with 
  the 
  surrounding 
  plants. 
  Hence 
  

   the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  a 
  pure 
  and 
  exclusively 
  

   twisted 
  race 
  would 
  soon 
  die 
  out. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  

   such 
  races 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  existence 
  finds 
  its 
  expla- 
  

   nation 
  in 
  this 
  circumstance, 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  

   does 
  not 
  prove 
  the 
  impossibility 
  or 
  even 
  the 
  im- 
  

   probability 
  that 
  some 
  time 
  a 
  pure 
  twisted 
  race 
  

   might 
  arise. 
  If 
  chance 
  should 
  put 
  such 
  an 
  ac- 
  

   cidental 
  race 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  an 
  experimenter, 
  

   it 
  could 
  be 
  protected 
  and 
  preserved, 
  and 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  no 
  straight 
  atavistic 
  branches, 
  but 
  being 
  

   twisted 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  organs, 
  might 
  yield 
  the 
  most 
  

   curious 
  conceivable 
  monstrosity, 
  surpassing 
  

   even 
  the 
  celebrated 
  dwarf 
  twisted 
  shrubs 
  of 
  

   Japanese 
  horticulturists. 
  

  

  Such 
  varieties 
  however, 
  do 
  not 
  exist 
  at 
  pres- 
  

   ent. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  twisted 
  races 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   hand, 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  state 
  and 
  have 
  only 
  

   to 
  be 
  isolated 
  and 
  cultivated 
  to 
  yield 
  large 
  num- 
  

  

  