﻿724 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  buds, 
  branches, 
  and 
  flowers 
  must 
  come 
  under 
  

   the 
  influence 
  of 
  external 
  conditions 
  during 
  the 
  

   juvenile 
  period, 
  and 
  so 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  attain 
  a 
  de- 
  

   velopment 
  determined 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  

   these 
  factors. 
  

  

  Before 
  leaving 
  these 
  general 
  considerations, 
  

   we 
  must 
  direct 
  our 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  

   utility. 
  Obviously, 
  fluctuating 
  variability 
  is 
  

   a 
  very 
  useful 
  contrivance, 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  at 
  

   least. 
  It 
  appears 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  so, 
  as 
  its 
  relation 
  

   to 
  nutrition 
  becomes 
  manifest. 
  Here 
  two 
  as- 
  

   pects 
  are 
  intimately 
  combined. 
  More 
  nutrient 
  

   matter 
  produces 
  larger 
  leaves 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  in 
  

   their 
  turn 
  more 
  fit 
  to 
  profit 
  by 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   nourishment. 
  So 
  it 
  is 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   flowers 
  and 
  flower-groups, 
  and 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  their 
  constituent 
  organs. 
  Better 
  

   nourishment 
  produces 
  more 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  there- 
  

   by 
  makes 
  the 
  plant 
  adequate 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  

   fuller 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  available 
  nutrient 
  substances. 
  

   Without 
  fluctuation 
  such 
  an 
  adjustment 
  would 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  possible, 
  and 
  from 
  all 
  our 
  notions 
  of 
  

   usefulness 
  in 
  nature, 
  we 
  therefore 
  must 
  recog- 
  

   nize 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  variability. 
  

  

  In 
  other 
  respects 
  the 
  fluctuations 
  often 
  strike 
  

   us 
  as 
  quite 
  useless 
  or 
  even 
  as 
  injurious. 
  The 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  stamens, 
  or 
  of 
  carpels 
  are 
  dependent 
  

   on 
  nutrition, 
  but 
  their 
  fluctuation 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  

   to 
  have 
  any 
  attraction 
  for 
  the 
  visiting 
  insects. 
  

  

  