Mutations in Other Families. 289 



again and sowed the 1890 seed. It gave 20 examples of 

 O. Lamarckiana and 6 of lata — only 26 seedlings alto- 

 gether. The 6 latas were annual, flowered well, and 

 provided material for an investigation, to be referred 

 to later, into the sterility of the pollen. 



The foregoing account can be summarized in tlie 

 table on page 288. 



The question naturally arises whether the mutability 

 in this family comes from the father or from the mother. 

 I believe from the father because my new species have as 

 a rule bred true and at any rate have mutated much less 

 than Lamarckiana itself. On the other hand it seems 

 probable that crossing in itself favors the production of 

 mutations. 



§ 8. MUTATIONS IN OTHER FAMILIES. 



Mutations have also occurred repeatedly in cultures of 

 O. Lamarckiana, which have not yet been described. It 

 may almost be said that every extensive sowing will give 

 mutations ; provided that the plants are not grown so 

 thickly that the majority of them are prevented even from 

 showing their characters ; and provided that the beds are 

 carefully examined. For before a plant begins to develop 

 a stem it forms a rosette with a radius of some 20 to 30 

 centimeters, and there is not room for many flowering 

 examples on a bed — 20-40 at the most per square meter. 



My mutations were almost always, at any rate in 

 their yoimg stages, more delicate than the parent species 

 so that they were very liable to be crowded out. 



I propose, therefore, now to say something about the 

 methods of cultivation, and about the search for muta- 



