442 CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY Chap. XI. 



■uithin this same group, the peach has often varied by buds, 

 whilst the apple and pear, both grafted trees extensively 

 cultivated, have afforded, as far as I can ascertain, extremely 

 few instances of bud-variation. 



The law of analogous variation holds good with varieties 

 produced by buds, as with those produced from seed : more 

 than one kind of rose has sported into a moss-rose ; more 

 than one kind of camellia has assumed an hexagonal form ; and 

 at least seven or eight varieties of the peach have produced 

 nectarines. 



The laws of inheritance seem to be nearly the same with 

 seminal and bud -varieties. We know how commonly reversion 

 comes into play with both, and it may affect the whole, or 

 only segments of a leaf, flower, or fruit. When the tendency 

 to reversion affects many buds on the same tree, it becomes 

 covered with diflei'ent kinds of leaves, flowers, or fruit ; but 

 there is reason to believe that such fluctuating varieties have 

 generally arisen from seed. It is well known that, out of a 

 niimber of seedling varieties, some transmit their character 

 much more truly by seed than others ; so with bud-varieties, 

 some retain their character by successive buds more truly than 

 others ; of which instances have been given with two kinds 

 of A'ariegated Euonymus and with certain kinds of tulips and 

 pelargoniums. Notwithstanding the sudden production ot 

 bud-varieties, the characters thus acquired are sometimes 

 capable of transmission by seminal reproduction : Mr. Rivers 

 has found that moss-roses generally reproduce themselves by 

 seed ; and the mossy character has been transferred by crossing 

 from one species of rose to another. The Boston nectarine, 

 which appeared as a bud- variation, produced by seed a closely 

 allied nectarine. On the other hand, seedlings from some 

 bud-variations have proved variable to an extreme degree. ^^' 

 We have also heard, on the authority of Mr. Salter, that 

 seeds taken from a branch with leaves variegated through 

 bud-variation, transmit this character very feebly ; whilst 

 many plants, which were variegated as seedlings, transmit 

 variegation to a large proportion of their progeny. 



Although I have been able to collect a good many cases ot 



'*' Carrifere, ' Production des Varietfe,' p. 39. 



