222 The Pedigree Families. 



bearing large blossoms both on the main stem and on 

 the numerous lateral branches, and set a quantity of seed. 

 They were grown on an isolated bed and considered as 

 the first generation. 



From their seeds I raised, in 1888 and 1889, a second 

 generation which flowered on the same isolated bed. I 

 chose six of the strongest to gather seeds from. The 

 third generation was mature in 1891 ; it was not isolated, 

 but flowered in that vear before the other cultures of 

 Oenothera began to bloom; some days before this hap- 

 pened all open flowers and all the buds were removed. 



From the seeds of the first and second generation 

 there appeared, besides the normal plants, three hitherto 

 unknown forms : O. nanella and O lata in some numbers, 

 and a single example of O. rnbrinervis. 



My hope had been fulfilled. But the difficulties of the 

 experiment had meanwhile become so great that I was 

 ol)liged to give it up for a time. The laezHfolia-ia.m{\y 

 was meanwhile continued and experiments in methods 

 of cultivation, manuring and artificial fertilization and 

 so forth were carried out on a large scale. The result 

 was that in 1895 I was able to take the Lamarckiana- 

 family up again with results which far exceeded m\- 

 highest expectations, as a glance at the genealogical tree 

 on page 224 will show. Since that time I have manured 

 my plants heavily, isolated any mutating individuals as 

 soon as they could be recognized as such and have then 

 chosen the strongest rosettes, as early as possible, as 

 seed-parents for the next generation. I have, further, 

 treated my plants as much as possible as annuals; and 

 have always chosen those which were to produce seed for 

 the next generation in the main line from among these. 

 So that from 1895 to 1899 I always had one generation 



