472 THE SURVIVAL OF THE UNLIKE. [XXIX. 



trough -like leaves. These highly developed forms 

 may not come true from seed, but among any batch 

 of seedlings flowers of the most remarkable beauty of 

 shape and intensity of color may be found, and in 

 some of them the texture of the flower is almost as 

 firm as that of a rose petal. A seedling from the 

 Burpee's Defiance strain is shown in the pen drawing 

 (page 470). I have called it the Cornell. The fiower 

 is of the most intense royal purple, with a velvety 

 texture which reminds one of the richest silk plush. 

 This velvet surface of petunia flowers is very marked 

 in some of the recent forms, and I suppose that the 

 character comes from Petunia violacea, which is said 

 by Vilmorin to have had a velvety cast. This Cor- 

 nell propagates true from cuttings. Some petunias 

 do not. The double fringed petunia is th§ highest 

 development of the plant; but by most persons the 

 gorgeous single forms of the Defiance and other 

 strains will be preferred. 



Of late years the improvement of the petunia has 

 been comparatively neglected, but it is worthy of 

 greater attention from flower lovers. Yet, during 

 1892 twenty -six new varieties were introduced in 

 this country. To scientists it has particular inter- 

 est, because the contemporaneous forms have de- 

 veloped widely from the well-known original species 

 within little more than half a century. 



