656 Mutations 



as the best variety or species. Even on this 

 ground it must be considered as a representa- 

 tive of a separate group of instances of the uni- 

 versal rule of systematic reversions. 



Of late the same mutation has occurred in the 

 garden of 0. A. White at Washington. The 

 parent form in this case was the " Acme," of 

 the ordinary weak and spreading habit of 

 growth. It is known as one of the best and most 

 stable of the varieties and was grown by Mr. 

 White for many years, and had not given any 

 sign of a tendency towards change. Seeds 

 from some of the best plants in 1899 were sown 

 the following spring, and the young seedlings 

 unexpectedly exhibited a marked difference 

 from their parents. From the very outset they 

 were more strong and erect, more compact and 

 of a darker green than the " Acme." When 

 they reached the fruiting stage they had devel- 

 oped into typical representatives of the Lyco- 

 persicum solanopsis or upright division. The 

 whole lot of plants comprised only some 30 

 specimens, and this number, of course, is too 

 small to base far-reaching conclusions upon. 

 But all of the lot showed this type, no 

 true " Acme " being seen among them. The 

 fruit differed in flavor, consistency and color 

 from that of the parent, and it also ripened 

 earlier than the latter. No seed was saved from 



