THE FORMATION OF VARIETIES. 191 



flowers ; how much the fruit of the different kinds of 

 gooseberries differ in size, color, and hairiness; and 

 yet, the flowers present very slight differences. It is 

 not that the varieties which differ largely, in some one 

 point, do not differ at all in other points. * * * 

 The laws of correlation of growth, the importance of 

 which should not be overlooked, will ensure some 

 differences, but the leaves, the flowers, or the fruit 

 will produce races differing from each other, chiefly in 

 these characters." 



(It is these slight differences which, when united in 

 mongrel offspring, effect the good which is occasioned 

 by Crossing.) 



The above cases represent the formation of varieties, 

 by the development of one character only, of the 

 species; and, by the retention of such character, at 

 each stage of reversion. Each part, itself, is composed 

 of several characters; and the different development 

 of these characters, constitute varieties formed of the va- 

 rious developments of the one part. Thus, the leaves in 

 different varieties of a species, may be of many different 

 sizes, and of many different shapes (the same being 

 modifications of the one normal shape), or, they may 

 be more or less fleshy, and variously reticulated; or, 

 they may be of several degrees of smoothness, or of 

 several degrees of hairiness. The stems also may be 

 variedly herbaceous, or variedly woody. The branches 

 also may be more or less drooping, or more or less 

 erect. In the flowers of each, or of several varieties, 

 the stamens, pistils, calyx, corolla, anthers, ovules, 

 ovaries, seed vessels, &c, may be of a different ratio 

 with each other; or, some of these characters may even 



