﻿Mutations 
  in 
  Horticulture 
  621 
  

  

  between 
  the 
  first 
  culture 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  variation 
  

   of 
  Crambe 
  maritima. 
  Other 
  cases 
  are 
  on 
  rec- 
  

   ord 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  variability 
  exhibited 
  itself 
  

   much 
  sooner, 
  perhaps 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  after 
  

   the 
  original 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  But 
  such 
  

   instances 
  seem, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  to 
  be 
  subject 
  to 
  doubt 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  concurrence 
  of 
  hybridization. 
  So 
  for 
  

   instance 
  the 
  Iris 
  lortetii, 
  introduced 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  

   1895 
  from 
  the 
  Lebanon, 
  which 
  produced 
  a 
  white 
  

   variety 
  from 
  its 
  very 
  first 
  seeds. 
  If 
  by 
  chance 
  

   the 
  introduced 
  plants 
  were 
  natural 
  hybrids 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  variety, 
  this 
  ap- 
  

   parent 
  and 
  rather 
  improbable 
  mutation 
  would 
  

   find 
  a 
  very 
  simple 
  explanation. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  

   the 
  period 
  preceding 
  the 
  first 
  signs 
  of 
  variability 
  

   is 
  largely, 
  of 
  course, 
  due 
  to 
  divergent 
  methods 
  

   of 
  culture. 
  Such 
  species 
  as 
  Erythrina, 
  which 
  

   are 
  perennial 
  and 
  only 
  sown 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale, 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  show 
  varieties 
  very 
  

   soon. 
  Annual 
  species, 
  which 
  are 
  cultivated 
  

   yearly 
  in 
  thousands 
  or 
  even 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thou- 
  

   sands 
  of 
  individuals, 
  have 
  a 
  much 
  better 
  chance. 
  

   Perhaps 
  the 
  observed 
  differences 
  are 
  largely 
  

   due 
  to 
  this 
  cause. 
  

  

  Monstrosities 
  have, 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  given 
  

   rise 
  to 
  cultivated 
  races. 
  The 
  cockscomb 
  or 
  

   Celosia 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  notorious 
  instances. 
  

   Cauliflowers, 
  turnips 
  and 
  varieties 
  of 
  cabbages 
  

   are 
  recorded 
  by 
  De 
  Candolle 
  to 
  have 
  arisen 
  in 
  

  

  