410 



CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY 



Chap. XI. 



reproduce themselves by seed ; and the mossy character has 

 been transferred by crossing, from one species of rose to another 

 The Boston nectarine, which appeared as a bud -variation, pro- 

 duced by seed a closely allied nectarine. We have however 

 seen, on the authority of Mr. Salter, that seed taken from a 

 branch with leaves variegated through bud-variation, transmits 

 this character very feebly ; whilst many plants, which became 

 variegated as seedlings, transmit variegation to a large proportion 

 of their progeny. 



Although I have been able to collect a good many cases 

 of bud-variation, as shown in the previous lists, and might 

 probably, by searching foreign horticultural works, have col- 

 lected more cases, yet their total number is as nothing in 

 comparison with that of seminal varieties. With seedlings 

 raised from the more variable cultivated plants, the variations 

 are almost infinitely numerous, but their differences are gene- 

 rally slight : only at long intervals of time a strongly marked 

 modification appears. On the other hand, it is a singular and 

 inexplicable fact that, when plants vary by buds, the variations, 

 though they occur with comparative rarity, are often, or even 

 generally, strongly pronounced. It struck me that this might 

 perhaps be a delusion, and that slight changes often occurred in 

 buds, but from being of no value were overlooked or not recorded. 

 Accordingly I applied to two great authorities on this subject, 

 namely, to Mr. Eivers with respect to fruit-trees, and to Mr. 

 Salter with respect to flowers. Mr. Eivers is doubtful, but does 

 not remember having noticed very slight variations in fruit- 

 buds. Mr. Salter informs me that with flowers such do occur, 

 but, if propagated, they generally lose their new character in 

 the following year; yet he concurs with me that bud- varia- 

 tions usually at once assume a decided and permanent character. 

 We can hardly doubt that this is the rule, when we reflect 

 on such cases as that of the peach, which has been so care- 

 fully observed and of which such trifling seminal varieties have 

 been propagated, yet this tree has repeatedly produced by bud- 

 variation nectarines, and only twice (as far as I can learn) any 

 other variety, namely, the Early and Late G-rosse Mignonne 

 peaches ; and these differ from the parent-tree in hardly any 

 character except the period of maturity. 





> iYeS6: 

 .ecured. 



Finally* t 



