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The Changes which take place in Plants in a wild 

 and cultivated state. By Dr Charles Stuart, 

 Chirnside. 



It is a very difficult matter to account for the changes 

 we observe in plants botanically related to each other. 

 So many different points have to be taken into consideration, 

 as regards soil, situation, and exposure, before a permanent 

 form different from the original type is maintained. It 

 may be an improved form that is evolved after a struggle, 

 and is, no doubt, nature's effort without any artificial 

 crossing or hybridizing by human agency at all. I feel 

 convinced, both in field and garden, we have many instances 

 of species evolved naturally. No doubt the botanist 

 recognises these improvements, and selects what in his view 

 possess the most distinct variation. 



In a mass of seedlings naturally produced, there are many 

 weakly, bad constitutioned individuals, which eventually 

 disappear after a struggle for existence, where they show 

 an unfitness to live or combat the climatic changes that they 

 would be exposed to. Take the Natural Family Cruciferse 

 for instance, as a good example of how variations con- 

 tinually take place in varieties. This I saw for myself, 

 before knowing what is now patent to every one ; and the 

 following facts, which seed growers are all aware of, shows 

 the care that is necessary to prevent the crossing of varieties 



