192 Retrograde Varieties 



Nothing indeed, is more variable than the sig- 

 nification of the term variable itself. 



For this reason, we will furthermore desig- 

 nate all variations under the influence of neigh- 

 bors with the new and special term ' ' vicinism. ' ' 

 It always indicates the result of crossing. 



Leaving this somewhat lengthy terminolog- 

 ical discussion, we now come to the description 

 of the phenomenon itself. In visiting the plan- 

 tations of the seedsmen in summer and exam- 

 ining the large fields of garden-flowers from 

 which seed is to be gathered, it is very rare to 

 find a plot quite pure. On the contrary, occa- 

 sional impurities are the rule. Every plot 

 shows anomalous individuals, red or white 

 flowers among a field of blue, normal among 

 laciniated, single among double and so on. The 

 most curious instance is afforded by dwarf 

 varieties, where in the midst of hundreds and 

 thousands of small individuals of the same 

 height, some specimens show twice their size. 

 So for instance, among the dwarfs of the lark- 

 spur, Delphinium Ajacis. 



Everywhere gardeners are occupied in de- 

 stroying these " atavists," as they call them. 

 When in full bloom the plants are pulled up 

 and thrown aside. Sometimes the degree of 

 impurity is so high, that great piles of dis- 

 carded plants of the same species lie about the 



