380 Ever-sporting Varieties 



those with 50-100 such organs 7 grams and 

 those with a bright crown 10 grams, the appen- 

 dices being removed before the weighing. Cor- 

 responding results have been reached by the 

 comparison of the height of the capsules with 

 their abnormal surroundings. The degree of 

 development of the monstrosity is shown by this 

 observation to be directly dependent on, and in 

 a sense proportionate to the individual strength 

 of the plant. 



The differences between the specimens grown 

 from a single lot of seeds, for instance from 

 the seeds of one self-fertilized capsule are, as I 

 have said, partly due to the divergences which 

 are always present in a bed, even if the utmost 

 care has been taken to make it as uniform as 

 possible. These local differences are ordinarily 

 underrated and overlooked, and it is often con- 

 sidered to be sufficient to cultivate small lots of 

 plants under apparently similar conditions on 

 neighboring beds, to be justified in imputing all 

 the observed deviations of the plants to heredi- 

 tary inequalities. This of course is true for 

 large lots, whenever the averages only are com- 

 pared. In smaller experiments the external con- 

 ditions of the single individuals should always 

 be considered carefully. Lots of one or two 

 square meters suffice for such comparisons, but 

 smaller lots are always subject to chances and 



