Polycephalic Poppies 381 



possibilities, which should never be left out of 

 consideration. 



Therefore I will now point out some circum- 

 stances, which are ordinarily different on va- 

 rious parts of one and the same bed. 



In the first place comes the inequality of the 

 seeds themselves. Some of them will germi- 

 nate earlier and others later. Those that dis- 

 play their cotyledons on a sunny day will be 

 able to begin at once with the production of 

 organic food. Others appear in bad weather, 

 and will thus be retarded in their development. 

 These effects are of a cumulative nature since 

 the young plants must profit by every hour of 

 sunshine, according to the size of the cotyledons. 

 Any inequality between two young seedlings is 

 apt to be increased by this cumulative effect. 



The same holds good for the soil of the bed. 

 It is simply impossible to mix the manure so 

 equally that all individuals receive the same 

 amount of it from the very beginning. I am in 

 the habit of using manures in a dry and pulver- 

 ized condition, of giving definite quantities to 

 each square meter, and of taking the utmost 

 care to get equal distribution and mixture with 

 the soil, always being present myself during this 

 most important operation. Nevertheless it is 

 impossible to make the nourishment exactly 

 equal for all the plants of even a small bed. 



