334 Ever-sporting Varieties 



who wish to make pedigree-cultures. The co- 

 operation of many is needed to bring about any 

 notable advancement, since the best way to se- 

 cure isolation is to restrict one's self to the 

 culture of one strain, and to avoid the intermix- 

 ture of others. So many facts remain doubtful 

 and open to investigation, that almost any lot 

 of purchased seed may become the starting 

 point for interesting researches. Among these 

 the sulphur-yellow varieties should be consid- 

 ered in the first place. 



In respect to the great questions of heredity, 

 the stocks offer many points of interest. Some 

 of these features I will now try to describe, in 

 order to show what still remains to be done, 

 and in what manner the stocks may clear the 

 way for the study of the ever-sporting varieties. 



The first point is the question, which seeds 

 become double-flowered and which single-flow- 

 ered plants? Beyond all doubt, the determi- 

 nation has taken place before the ripening of the 

 seed. But though the color of the seed is often 

 indicative of the color of the flowers, as in some 

 red or purple varieties, and though in balsams 

 and some other instances the most " highly 

 doubled " flowers are to be obtained from the 

 biggest and plumpest seeds ; no such rule seems 

 to exist respecting the double stocks. Yet it is 

 clear that, if one half of the seeds gives doubles. 



