The Periodicity of Semi-Latent Characters. 323 
result of heavier manuring and better treatment (1890- 
1892). 
Of a kindred nature, probably, is the well-known 
fact that anomalies are more abundant in certain years 
than in others. HUNTING records this for Lilinm crucn- 
tnui plenum 1 and KICKX for pitchers, of which there was 
in the neighborhood of Gent, in Belgium, something like 
an epidemic in 1848 in the tobacco fields, and in 1851 
in Rosa Gallica and Rosa centifolia. 2 In the neighbor- 
hood of Freiburg there was an extraordinary abundance 
of floral malformations in the summer of 1866. 3 In 
France the hot and dry summer of 1893 brought out a 
large number of these, and GAGNEPAIN records a long 
series of anomalies which he observed at that time. 4 The 
year 1845 was a great year for peloric Calceolarias, 1862 
for central umbels in Auricula (in England). For ten 
years I have observed the formation of pitchers in Mag- 
nolia obovata and that of hermaphrodite flowers in Saliv 
aurita. In both these cases the frequency varied greatly 
with the year, although the specimens which were exam- 
ined closely every year, were growing in our garden. I 
shall not extend this list which the reader may easily 
complete either by personal observations or from the 
abundant literature on the subject. 
28. THE PERIODICITY OF SEMI-LATENT CHARACTERS. 
The immediate external conditions which obtain dur- 
ing the susceptible period of development do not consti- 
tute the sole factor which determines the greater or less 
1 MUNTING, loc. dt., p. 501. 
2 J. KICKX, Bull. Acad. Roy. Belgique, Vol. XVIII, Pt. I, p. 591. 
3 HlLDEBRAND, Bot. ZcitllHg, l866, p. 239. 
4 Bull. Soc. Bot. France, Vol. XL, 1893, PP- 309-312. 
