C. RETROGRADE VARIETIES 

 LECTURE V 



CHAEACTEES OF EETEOGEADE VAEIETIES 



Every one admires the luxuriance of gar- 

 den-flowers, and their diversity of color and 

 form. All parts of the world have contributed 

 to their number and every taste can find its 

 preference among them. New forms produced 

 by the skill of the breeder are introduced every 

 year. This has been done mostly by crossing 

 and intermingling the characters of introduced 

 species of the same genus. In some of the 

 cases the history of our flowers is so old that 

 their hybrid origin is forgotten, as in the case 

 of the pansies. Hybridizations are still going 

 on in other groups on a large scale, and new 

 forms are openly claimed to be of hybrid origin. 



Breeders and amateurs generally have more 

 interest in the results than in the way in 

 which it has been brought about. Excel- 

 lent flowers and fruit recommend them- 

 selves and there seems to be no reason for in- 



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