XIV 



MAKING NEW PLANTS 169 



of finding that as a result of his care the number 

 of leaves with four parts increased. 



He then collected the seed of the plants and 

 sowed it. He got a number 

 of plants which showed a 

 slight increase in the num- 

 ber of leaves with extra 

 parts. Out of this bed he 

 picked out the four plants 

 which had the highest 

 number of four - partite 

 leaves and saved their 

 seeds. All the other plants 

 were destroyed. He went 

 on in this way for nine 

 generations. 



The results were curious. 

 In the plants with which 

 de Vries began there were 

 many three-partite leaves FIG. 38. -A piece of de Vries' 



(that is the USUal kind), Clover, with four-, five-, and 

 . . . six-partite leaves. 



several lour - partite ones, 



and one with five parts. By going on always 

 taking the seeds of those plants with leaves 

 having more than three parts, he succeeded in 

 producing clover plants with four-, five-, six-, and 

 seven-partite leaves. In the end his clover bed 

 contained plants the leaves of which had mostly five 



