318 LUTHER BURBANK 



anese daisy are to be explained precisely in this 

 way. I know of no other explanation that has 

 any semblance of plausibility. 



It is my personal belief that every trait ac- 

 quired by any organism through the influence 

 of its environment becomes a part of the condi- 

 tion of the organism that tends to reproduce it- 

 self through inheritance. 



In other words I entertain no doubt that all 

 acquired traits of every kind are transmissible as 

 more or less infinitesimal tendencies to the off- 

 spring of the organism. 



But it would not do to dismiss the subject 

 without adverting to the fact that there are many 

 biologists who dispute the possibility of the 

 transmission of acquired traits. Indeed, one of 

 the most ardent controversies of recent years has 

 had to do with that point; and doubtless many 

 readers who are not biologists have had their at- 

 tention called to this controversy and perhaps 

 have received assurance that traits acquired by 

 an individual organism are not transmitted. 



I shall not here enter into any details of the 

 controversy, although doubtless we shall have 

 occasion to revert to it. But it is well to clarify 

 the subject in the mind of the reader here at the 

 outset, by pointing out that this controversy, like 

 a good many others, is concerned with unessen- 



