The Significance of the Ataz'isis. 525 



30% individuals with fasciations. In llic two following 

 generations they were much more abundant. In the sixth 

 there were 65% fasciated specimens, in a culture of 220 

 plants, and these afforded me sufficient material for a 

 statistical examination. For this purpose I collected, 

 shortly before the ripening of the seed, all the aberrant 

 flowers from a certain number of plants, and counted the 

 number of the divisions of the fruit or that of the stig- 

 mas of 120 individual flowers taken at random. The 

 figures which I obtained were as follows : 



NUMBER OF 



Stigmas 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 

 Flowers 13 9 4 5 10 15 2 2 10 15 6 3 7 5 9 3 1 1 



I did not count the normal flowers, but their number 

 far exceeded that of the whole group of the fasciated 

 ones. In the curve in Fig. 121, in which the above series 

 of figures is graphically displayed, the apex representing 

 the atavists is therefore only formally indicated. The 

 secondary peaks fall at 11 (10), 15 and 20 pistils, and 

 the normal pentamery of the flowers is thus clearly re- 

 peated in these multiple figures.^ 



Besides illustrating this curious fact, the curve shows 

 that low grades of fasciation are relatively rare and that 

 atavistic and normal flowers constitute two distinct 

 groups, although connected by intermediate stages. 



Let us now summarize the conclusions we have come 

 to in regard to fasciated eversporting varieties. 



1. The races always consist of fasciated individuals 

 and atavists. 



2. The proportion of the former varies greatly, of- 

 ten amounting to only 40% or less, but not infrequently 



' A further inquiry into this point is, in my opinion, urgently 

 called for. 



