570 Curves of Compositae and Umhelliferae, 



Vilmorin-Andrieux & CiE. in Paris and sown on a bed 

 of one square meter. When I came to select them the 

 number of plants was 45; the vast majority had five 

 rays in the primary umbel, some 6, very few 7 and 8, 

 and none any more. Two plants had four-rayed ter- 

 minal umbels, and on one of them most of the secondary 

 umbels were also four-rayed. I only harvested seed 

 from the two latter plants. A curve was not determined. 



Next year the culture extended over two square 

 meters, and the number of adult plants was 52. Of 

 these the great majority had 5-rayed terminal umbels. 

 Of the three plants which were chosen as seed-parents 

 one had a 3-rayed terminal umbel, the two others 4-rayed 

 ones. 



The seed of these three plants was sown separately 

 in 1894; each lot on two square meters. The number 

 of individuals at the time of selection was 334, amongst 

 which there occurred two with a two-rayed terminal 

 umbel, a result which means an advance in a negative 

 direction on the stage attained in the previous year; but 

 may, perhaps, be partly attributed to the larger number 

 of individuals in the culture. The plants were harvested 

 separately on the three beds, but the results are all given 

 together in the table on page 571. It is very curious 

 that the offspring of the three-rayed parent exhibited 

 on the average a greater number of rays than those 

 of one of the two four-rayed parents. The character 

 of the parent is therefore only an imperfect guide of 

 the average character of its progeny. 



As shown in the following table, selection has suc- 

 ceeded, in spite of the heavy manuring, in reducing the 

 number of rays in the umbel by almost a whole unit. 



