182 A Defence of Mendel's 



-that the plant which shows the desired combination of 

 characters must be chosen and bred from, and that if this 

 be not done the grower will have endless combinations 

 mixed together in his stock. If however such a selection 

 be made in the fourth or fifth generation the breeder may 

 very possibly have got a fixed form namely, one that will 

 breed true*. On the other hand he may light on one 

 that does not breed true, and in the latter case it may be 

 that the particular type he has chosen is not represented 

 in the gametes and will never breed true, though selected 

 to the end of time. Of all this Mendel has given us the 

 simple and final account. 



At Messrs Sutton and Sons, to whom I am most 

 grateful for unlimited opportunities of study, I have seen 

 exactly such a case as this. For many years Messrs Sutton 

 have been engaged in developing new strains of the Chinese 

 Primrose (Primula sinensis, hort.). Some thirty thoroughly 

 distinct and striking varieties (not counting the Stellata 

 or " Star " section) have already been produced which 

 breed true or very nearly so. In 1899 Messrs Sutton 

 called my attention to a strain known as "Giant Lavender," 

 a particularly fine form with pale magenta or lavender 

 flowers, telling me that it had never become fixed. On 

 examination it appeared that self-fertilised seed saved from 

 this variety gave some magenta-reds, some lavenders, and 

 some which are white on opening but tinge with very faint 

 pink as the flower matures. 



On counting these three forms in two successive years 

 the following figures appeared. Two separately bred 

 batches raised from "Giant Lavender" were counted in 

 each year. 



* Apart, from fresh original variations, and perhaps in some cases 

 imperfect homozygosis of some hypallelomorphs. 



