24 THE PHENOMENON OF 



called propagation of the individual, in contradistinction 

 to the propagation of the species effected by the forma- 

 tion of seeds.* But, disregarding the contradictions 

 which here exist even in the expression, these definitions 

 by no means reach the true essence of the modes of 

 propagation occurring in the formation of sprouts, for it 

 is incorrect that the formation of the sprout is merely for 

 the object of multiplication, as I shall endeavour to show 

 in the sequel ; in like manner it does not always apply, 

 that the new stocks formed by separation of sprouts 

 (cuttings, layers, &c.) constantly retain unaltered the indi- 

 vidual (more accurately the variety's) character of the 

 parent stock, for even without separation from the stock, 

 particular shoots " sport," as it is called, out of the species. 

 The well-known example of the occurrence of isolated blue 

 bunches of grapes on stocks of white varieties, isolated 

 bunches of red currants mingled with the white ones of 

 the same stock, isolated pure sulphur-yellow roses among 

 variegated flowers of the red and yellow Austrian briar- 

 rose (Rosa eglanteria, var. licolof) afford proofs of this. 

 The remarkable phenomena relating to this point in the 

 hybrid Cytisus Adami, which displays in particular 

 sprouts the characters sometimes of one, sometimes of 

 the other parent species, will have more particular atten- 

 tion paid to them in another place. 



The true import of the formation of sprouts upon the 

 vegetable stock is that of a subordinate propagation. 

 The cycle of development given by the sexual propaga- 

 tion (formation of seed) divides again, in the majority of 

 plants, in the most varied manner, into subordinate 

 series of development, which proceed out of one another 

 by the formation of sprouts, so that what in more highly 

 individualised beings is completed in the simple indi- 

 vidual, is distributed in the plant, through the inter- 



* Link, 'Element. Philos. Bot.,' p. 208. "Gemmae individuum con- 

 tinuant, cum semina specicm propagent." We have already shown above 

 that the lateral sprout, morphologically considered, is no continuation, but a 

 new beginning. 



