328 Ever-sporting Varieties 



Striped grapes, apples and other fruits might 

 be mentioned in this connection. 



Before leaving the striped varieties, atten- 

 tion is called to an interesting deduction, which 

 probably gives an explanation of one of the 

 most widely known instances of ever-sporting 

 garden plants. Striped races always include 

 two types. Both of them are fertile, and each 

 of them reproduces in its offspring both its 

 own and the alternate type. It is like a game 

 of ball, in which the opposing parties always 

 return the ball. But now suppose that only 

 one of the types were fertile and the other for 

 some reason, wholly sterile, and assuming the 

 reversionary, or primitive monochromatic indi- 

 viduals to be fertile, and the derivative striped 

 specimens to bloom without seed. If this were 

 the case, our knowledge about the hereditary 

 qualities would be greatly limited. In fact the 

 whole pedigree would be reduced to a mono- 

 chromatic strain, which would in each genera- 

 tion sport in some individuals into the striped 

 variety. But, being sterile, they would not be 

 able to propagate themselves. 



Such seems to be the case with the double 

 flowered stocks. Their double flowers produce 

 neither stamens nor pistils, and as each indi- 

 vidual is either double or single in all its flow- 

 ers, the doubles are wholly destitute of seed. 



