﻿Production 
  of 
  Double 
  Flowers 
  499 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  rarity 
  of 
  the 
  anomaly 
  was 
  exactly 
  the 
  

   indication 
  wanted, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  deviation 
  

   would 
  have 
  had 
  no 
  signification 
  whatever, 
  had 
  it 
  

   occurred 
  in 
  a 
  group 
  fluctuating 
  symmetrically 
  

   around 
  the 
  average 
  figure. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   the 
  observed 
  anomaly 
  was 
  only 
  an 
  indication, 
  

   and 
  no 
  guarantee 
  of 
  future 
  developments. 
  

  

  Here 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  remarked 
  that 
  the 
  indica- 
  

   tion 
  alluded 
  to 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  

   expected 
  character 
  of 
  doubling 
  in 
  ever 
  so 
  slight 
  

   a 
  measure. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  guide 
  to 
  be 
  followed 
  

   in 
  further 
  work. 
  The 
  real 
  character 
  of 
  double 
  

   flower-heads 
  among 
  composites 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   duction 
  of 
  rays 
  on 
  the 
  disk. 
  No 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  rays 
  can 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  sig- 
  

   nificance. 
  A 
  hasty 
  inspection 
  of 
  double 
  flower- 
  

   heads 
  may 
  convey 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  all 
  rays 
  are 
  ar- 
  

   ranged 
  around 
  a 
  little 
  central 
  cluster 
  of 
  disk- 
  

   florets, 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  disk. 
  But 
  

   a 
  closer 
  investigation 
  will 
  always 
  reveal 
  the 
  

   fallacy 
  of 
  this 
  conclusion. 
  Hidden 
  between 
  

   the 
  inner 
  rays, 
  and 
  covered 
  by 
  them, 
  lie 
  the 
  

   little 
  tubular 
  and 
  fertile 
  florets 
  everywhere 
  

   on 
  the 
  disk. 
  They 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  easily 
  seen, 
  but 
  

   if 
  the 
  supernumerary 
  rays 
  are 
  pulled 
  out, 
  the 
  

   disk 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  bear 
  numerous 
  small 
  

   florets 
  at 
  intervals. 
  But 
  these 
  intervals 
  

   are 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  numerous, 
  showing 
  thereby 
  that 
  

   onlv 
  a 
  relativelv 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  tubes 
  has 
  been 
  

  

  