392 Ever-sporting Varieties 



or at least temporarily better, nourishment. No 

 starting-point for such an independent selection 

 has ever been met with. 



Summing up the consequences of this some- 

 what extended discussion, we may state it as a 

 rule that a general proportion between the in- 

 dividual strength and the degree of develop- 

 ment of the anomaly exists. And from this 

 point of view it is easy to see that all external 

 causes which are known to affect the one, must 

 be expected to influence the other, also. 



It will therefore hardly be necessary to give 

 a full description of all my experiments on the 

 relations of the monstrosity to external condi- 

 tions. A hasty survey will suffice. 



This survey is not only intended to convey an 

 idea of the relations of pistilloid poppies to 

 their environment, but may serve as an ex- 

 ample of the principle involved. According 

 to my experience with a large range of other 

 anomalies, the same rule prevails everywhere. 

 And this rule is so simple that exact knowledge 

 of one instance may be considered as sufficient 

 to enable us to calculate from analogy what is 

 to be expected from a given treatment of any 

 other anomaly. Our knowledge of observed 

 facts and the conditions to be chosen for 

 intended cultures are largely dependent on such 

 calculations. What I am now going to describe 



