V. 



VAN MONS AND KNIGHT, AND THE 

 PRODUCTION OF VARIETIES.' 



Every species of plant which inau has cultivated for 

 any considerable length of time has numerous forms or 

 varieties. This simple and undisputable statement repre- 

 sents one of the most significant facts in nature. There 

 are two diverse types of inquiries which may grow out of 

 a contemplation of this fact. One type attempts to col- 

 lect information concerning the various forms, for the 

 direct and immediate use of the cultivator. It endeav- 

 ors to ascertain the best varieties for certain purposes or 

 for given conditions. This is a matter of practical agri- 

 culture. The other type of inquiry asks why and how 

 these various forms came to be. It seeks for fundamen- 

 tal truths, that is, for laws or principles; and inasmuch 

 as principles are eternal, so far as we know, it follows 

 that the enunciation of a law is prophecy of progress and 

 destiny. 



The type of mind which inquires into the reasons for 

 the existence of these forms is essentially a modern one. 

 It may almost be said to be Recent. The inquiry into 

 the nature of garden or domestic varieties of plants and 

 animals is simply a special application of the desire to 

 know the genesis and destiny of that congeries of objects 



•Address before the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia, March 

 17. 1896. Printed under the title, "New Varieties of Plants," in American Gar- 

 dening for May 16, 23, 30. June 6 and 20, 1896. 



(138) 



