BY THE SELECTION OF SOMATIC VARIATIONS. 21 



Usually but three cuttings were made from a plant, and these were 

 taken from branches most uniform and clearly conforming to the type. 



It has already been noted and it will be very evident in the following 

 pages that some plants showed fluctuating variations giving irregular 

 or mixed patterns, or the pattern gradually fluctuated between two 

 types or changed from one type to another. Except in two cases 

 no attempt was made to secure new types by such fluctuating varia- 

 tions. These cases (clone 14 of table 2 and clone 13 of table 3) will 

 be especially discussed later. 



In numerous cases cuttings were made to give two types of patterns 

 in the same plant. The constancy of the patterns could in these cases 

 be studied with the two parts growing from the same root system and 

 submitted to the same environmental factors. 



Plants with yellow-red blotched pattern (fig. 1). — Seven cuttings pure 

 for this pattern were made in the autumn of 1913. Six died soon after 

 they were placed in the rooting-bench. The other lived and was grown 

 until the autumn of 1914. This plant was somewhat greener during 

 the winter, but at all times was decidedly more yellow than any plant 

 of any other type. It was, also, smaller and less vigorous in its growth. 

 Eight plants were grown as chimeras with one branch of yellow-red 

 UotchedpSitteTn and one branch of a pattern with yellow-green-red blotched. 

 On all these the branches of the part with pattern yellow-red blotched 

 remained quite constant throughout the year and were at all times in 

 marked contrast to the pattern of the other part. Two chimeras grown 

 only during the summer of 1914 were likewise quite constant. While 

 it is very difficult to obtain plants with this pattern from cuttings, the 

 type remains quite constant when grown in chimeral association with 

 branches having green tissue. On account of the difficulties of propa- 

 gation this type has not been rigorously tested. The few plants grown 

 gave no marked variations either as bud variations or as fluctuations. 



Plants with green-yellow-red blotched pattern (fig. 2). — This is the 

 pattern originally possessed by the two parent plants, Nos. 1 and 3. 

 A total of 337 plants were grown from cuttings of this type. The data 

 given in table 2 are summarized in four main clones. Plants of clone 1 1 

 all descended from branch 1 on plant 1. Plants of clone 12 were 

 descended from branch 2 on plant 1. Plants of clone 3 were derived 

 from the branches of plant 3 that were uniform for this pattern. The 

 original branches from which the first cuttings were obtained were 

 uniform for the green-yelloiu-red blotched pattern and all plants used as 

 parent stock for later generations were selected as typical and most 

 constant for the pattern. The entire six generations constituted a 

 series of plants derived by continued selection. 



The 45 plants of this pattern in clone 14 are especially interesting, 

 as they constitute a test for this pattern when derived by a gradual 

 fluctuation. As already noted, branch 4 of plant 1 possessed a decidedly 



