﻿780 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  the 
  same. 
  The 
  repetition 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  easy 
  meth- 
  

   od 
  of 
  getting 
  more 
  widely 
  deviating 
  extremes 
  ; 
  

   whether 
  it 
  has, 
  besides 
  this, 
  another 
  effect, 
  re- 
  

   mains 
  doubtful. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  decide 
  

   this 
  question, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  repeat 
  the 
  selec- 
  

   tion 
  during 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  generations. 
  In 
  this 
  

   way 
  the 
  individual 
  faults 
  may 
  be 
  removed 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  possible. 
  I 
  chose 
  an 
  experiment 
  of 
  Fritz 
  

   Miiller, 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rows 
  of 
  

   grains 
  on 
  the 
  ears 
  exactly 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  above 
  

   referred 
  to, 
  and 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  repeated 
  in 
  my 
  

   experimental 
  garden 
  at 
  Amsterdam. 
  

  

  I 
  started 
  from 
  a 
  variety 
  known 
  to 
  fructify 
  

   fairly 
  regularly 
  in 
  our 
  climate, 
  and 
  exhibiting 
  

   in 
  the 
  mean 
  12 
  - 
  14 
  rows, 
  but 
  varying 
  between 
  8 
  

   and 
  20 
  as 
  exceptional 
  cases. 
  I 
  chose 
  an 
  ear 
  

   with 
  16 
  rows 
  and 
  sowed 
  its 
  seeds 
  in 
  1887. 
  A 
  

   number 
  of 
  plants 
  were 
  obtained, 
  from 
  each 
  of 
  

   which, 
  one 
  ear 
  was 
  chosen 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  count 
  its 
  

   rows. 
  An 
  average 
  of 
  15 
  rows 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  

   variations 
  complying 
  with 
  Quetelet's 
  law. 
  One 
  

   ear 
  reached 
  22 
  rows, 
  but 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  fertilized, 
  

   some 
  others 
  had 
  20 
  rows, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  these 
  

   was 
  chosen 
  for 
  the 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ment. 
  I 
  repeated 
  the 
  sowing 
  during 
  6 
  subse- 
  

   quent 
  generations 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way, 
  choosing 
  

   each 
  time 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  ear 
  from 
  among 
  

   those 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  rows. 
  Un- 
  

   fortunately 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  the 
  

  

  