Five-leaved Clover 349 



the highest percentage are chosen, and among 

 their progeny only the seedlings with trif oliolate 

 primary leaves are planted out. The whole 

 procedure of the selection is by this means con- 

 fined to the glasshouse during the spring, and 

 the beds need not be large, nor do they require 

 any special care during the summer. 



By this method I brought my strain within 

 two years up to an average of nearly 90 ^ of the 

 seedlings with a divided primary leaf. Around 

 this average the real numbers fluctuated be- 

 tween the maximum of 99;^ and the minimum 

 of 70^ or thereabouts. This condition was 

 reached by the sixth generation in the year 189-I-, 

 and has since proved to be the limit, the group 

 of figures remaining practically the same during 

 all the succeeding generations. 



Such selected plants are very rich in leaves 

 with four, fi\e and six blades. Excluding the 

 small leaves at the tops of the branches, and 

 those on the numerous weaker side-branches, 

 these three groups include the large majority 

 of all the stronger leaves. In summer the 

 range is wider, and besides many trifoliolate 

 leaves the curiously shaped seven-bladed ones 

 are not at all rare. In the fall and in the win- 

 ter the range of variability is narrowed, and 

 at first sight the plants often seem to bear only 

 quinquefoliolate leaves. 



