Increase in Variability in One Direction. 11 
sequence of events may have the appearance of having 
been gradually brought about by the free will of the ex- 
perimenter ; whereas as a matter of fact the result was 
attained mainly by good luck. 
If we look through the literature of horticulture we 
shall soon see that this illusion has not taken in the really 
efficient breeder. He knows perfectly well that neither 
the beginning nor the end of such an experiment is under 
his control. It is only between these two limits that 
everything depends on his skill. 
The first indication of an anomaly in a pure species 
appears by chance ; and it is a well-known rule in horti- 
culture that the breeder should always be on the lookout 
for such chance occurrences. It does not matter how 
small the deviation is so long as it is an anomaly (p. 4). 
When such a deviation has once been found it lies with 
the breeder to perfect it and bring it to its full develop- 
ment. But the ever present, more or less considerable, 
fluctuating variations of normal characters are of no use 
for this purpose; by their means many varieties may be 
made better and prettier, but they can give rise to nothing 
really new. 
The best horticultural authorities are in agreement 
on this point. CARRIERE for example says : "Uhorticul- 
tenr ne pent faire naitre les varietes" and in greater de- 
tail in reference to double flowers: "Le point de depart 
des fleurs donbles est en dehors de notre puissance coin me 
de nos calcnls; nons ne ponvons rien, on a pen pres rien, 
sur le fait initiatif; nons ne ponrons qnc le saisir lorsqn'il 
se presente; nons ne pouvons pas le provoqner; c'est nn 
effct, dont la canse nous est inconnnc." 1 A well-known 
1 E. A. CARRIERE, Production et fixation dcs rarictcs dans les 
vegctaux, 1865, p. 64 and p. 15. 
