276 EVOLUTION [CHAP. IV 



Letter 196 magnum bonum sporting into red. 1 I could see no difference 

 in the shoots, except that those of the yellow were thicker, 

 and I presume that this is merely accidental : as you do 

 not mention it, I further presume that there are no further 

 differences in leaves or flowers of the two plums. I am 

 very glad to hear about the yellow ash, and that you 

 yourself have seen the jessamine case. I must confess that 

 I hardly fully believed in it ; but now I do, and very 

 surprising it is. 



In an old French book, published in Amsterdam in 

 1786 (I think), there is an account, apparently authentic 

 and attested by the writer as an eye-witness, of hyacinth 

 bulbs of two colours being cut in two and grafted, and 

 they sent up single stalks with differently coloured flowers 

 on the two sides, and some flowers parti-coloured. I once 

 thought of offering $ reward in the Cottage Gardener for 

 such a plant ; but perhaps it would seem too foolish. No 

 instructions are given when to perform the operation ; I 

 have tried two or three times, and utterly failed. I find 

 that I have a grand list of " bud-variations," and to-morrow 

 shall work up such cases as I have about rose-sports, which 

 seem very numerous, and which I see you state to occur 

 comparatively frequently. 



When a person is very good-natured he gets much 

 pestered a discovery which I daresay you have made, or 

 anyhow will soon make ; for I do want very much to know 

 whether you have sown seed of any moss-roses, and whether 

 the seedlings were moss-roses. 2 Has a common rose produced 

 by seed a moss-rose ? 



If any light comes to you about very slight changes in 

 the buds, pray have the kindness to illuminate me. I have 

 cases of seven or eight varieties of the peach which have 

 produced by " bud-variation ' nectarines, and yet only one 

 single case (in France) of a peach producing another closely 

 similar peach (but later in ripening). How strange it is 

 that a great change in the peach should occur not rarely 

 and slighter changes apparently very rarely ! How strange 

 that no case seems recorded of new apples or pears or 



1 See Variation under Domestication^ Ed. II., Vol. I., p. 399. 



2 Moss-roses can be raised from seed ( Variation under Domestication, 

 Ed. II., Vol. I., p. 405). 



