442 CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY Chap. XI. 



within tliis same group, the peach has often varied by buds, 

 whilst the apple and pear, both grafted trees extensively 

 cultivated, have afforded, as far as I can ascertain, extremely 

 few instances of bud-variation. 



The law of analogous variation holds good with varieties 

 produced by buds, as with those produced from seed : more 

 than one kind of rose has sported into a moss-rose; more 

 than one kind of camellia has assumed an hexagonal form ; and 

 at least seven or eight varieties of the peach have produced 

 nectarines. 



The laws of inheritance seem to be nearly the same with 

 seminal and bud -varieties. We know how commonly reversion 

 comes into play with both, and it may affect the whole, or 

 only segments of a leaf, flower, or fruit. When the tendency 

 to reversion affects many buds on the same tree, it becomes 

 covered with different kinds of leaves, flowers, or fruit ; but 

 there is reason to believe that such fluctuating varieties have 

 generally arisen from seed. It is well known that, out of a 

 number of seedling varieties, some transmit their character 

 much more truly by seed than others ; so with bud-varieties, 

 some retain their character by successive buds more truly than 

 others ; of which instances have been given with two kinds 

 of variegated Euonymus and with certain kinds of tulips and 

 pelargoniums. Notwithstanding the sudden production of 

 bud-varieties, the characters thus acquired are sometimes 

 capable of transmission by seminal reproduction : Mr. Rivers 

 has found that moss-roses generally reproduce themselves by 

 seed ; and the mossy character has been transferred by crossing 

 from one species of rose to another. The Boston nectarine, 

 which appeared as a bud-variation, produced by seed a closely 

 allied nectarine. On the other hand, seedlings from some 

 bud-variations have proved variable to an extreme degree. 157 

 We have also heard, on the authority of Mr. Salter, that 

 seeds taken from a branch with leaves variegated through 

 bud-variation, transmit this character very feebly; whilst 

 many plants, which were variegated as seedlings, transmit 

 variegation to a large proportion of their progeny. 



Although I have been able to collect a good many cases of 



15P Carriere, ' Production des Varietes,' p. 39. 



