﻿Laws 
  of 
  Fluctuations 
  729 
  

  

  disappear, 
  and 
  the 
  line 
  becomes 
  smoother 
  and 
  

   more 
  uniformly 
  curved. 
  

  

  This 
  method 
  of 
  arranging 
  the 
  figures 
  directly 
  

   on 
  a 
  basal 
  line 
  is 
  very 
  convenient, 
  whenever 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  or 
  garden. 
  

   Very 
  few 
  instances 
  need 
  be 
  recorded 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   an 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  mean 
  value, 
  and 
  to 
  show 
  

   what 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  a 
  continuance 
  of 
  

   the 
  test. 
  The 
  method 
  is 
  so 
  simple 
  and 
  so 
  

   striking, 
  and 
  so 
  wholly 
  independent 
  of 
  any 
  

   mathematical 
  development 
  that 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  to 
  ascer- 
  

   tain 
  the 
  average 
  value 
  of 
  any 
  organ, 
  and 
  the 
  

   measure 
  of 
  the 
  attendant 
  deviations. 
  

  

  I 
  cite 
  an 
  instance, 
  secured 
  by 
  counting 
  the 
  

   ray-florets 
  on 
  the 
  flower-heads 
  of 
  the 
  corn-mari- 
  

   gold 
  or 
  Chrysanthemum 
  segetum. 
  It 
  was 
  that, 
  

   by 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  select 
  the 
  plant, 
  which 
  

   afterwards 
  showed 
  the 
  first 
  signs 
  of 
  a 
  double 
  

   head. 
  I 
  noted 
  them 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  : 
  

  

  47 
  

  

  47 
  52 
  

  

  41 
  54 
  68 
  

  

  44 
  50 
  62 
  75 
  

  

  36 
  45 
  58 
  65 
  72 
  99 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  the 
  figures 
  might 
  be 
  replaced 
  in 
  

   this 
  work 
  by 
  equidistant 
  dots 
  or 
  by 
  lines, 
  but 
  

   experience 
  teaches 
  that 
  the 
  chance 
  of 
  making 
  

   mistakes 
  is 
  noticeably 
  lessened 
  by 
  writing 
  down 
  

  

  