Chai.xii inheritance. 463 



produced yellow berries. Vilmorin 45 observed in a bed of Saponaria 

 calabrica an extremely dwarf variety, and raised from it a large 

 number of seedlings ; some of these partially resembled their parent, 

 and he selected their seed; but the grandchildren were not in the 

 least dwarfed : on the other hand, he observed a stunted and bushy 

 variety of Tagetes signata growing in the midst of the common 

 varieties by which it was probably crossed ; for most of the seedlings 

 raised from this plant were intermediate in character, only two 

 perfectly resembling their parent ; but seed saved from these two 

 plants reproduced the new variety so truly, that hardly any selection 

 has since been necessary. 



Flowers transmit their colour truly, or most capriciously. Many 

 annuals come true : thus I purchased German seeds of thirty-four 

 named sub- varieties of one race of ten- week stocks (Matthiola 

 annua), and raised a hundred and forty plants, all of which, with 

 the exception of a single plant, came true. In saying this, however, 

 it must be understood that I could distinguish only twenty kinds 

 out of the thirty-four named sub- varieties ; nor did the colour of 

 the flower always correspond with the name affixed to the packet ; 

 but I say that they came true, because in each of the thirty-six 

 short rows every plant w r as absolutely alike, with the one single 

 exception. Again, I procured packets of German seed of twenty- 

 five named varieties of common and quilled asters, and raised a 

 hundred and twenty-four plants ; of these, all except ten were true 

 in the above limited sense ; and I considered even a wrong shade of 

 colour as false. 



It is a singular circumstance that white varieties generally 

 transmit their colour much more truly than any other variety. 

 This fact probably stands in close relation with one observed by 

 Yerlot, 46 namely, that flowers which are normally white rarely vary 

 into any other colour. I have found that the white varieties of 

 Delphinium consolida and of the Stock are the truest. It is, indeed, 

 sufficient to look through a nurseryman's seed-list, to see the large 

 number of white varieties which can be propagated by seed. The 

 several coloured varieties of the sweet-pea (Lathyrus odoratus) are 

 very true ; but I hear from Mr. Masters, of Canterbury, who has 

 particularly attended to this plant, that the white variety is the 

 truest. The hyacinth, when propagated by seed, is extremely 

 inconstant in colour, but " white hyacinths almost always give by 

 seed white-flowered plants;" 47 and Mr. Masters informs me 

 that the yellow varieties also reproduce their colour, but of different 

 shades. On the other hand, pink and blue varieties, the latter being 

 the natural colour, are not nearly so true : hence, as Mr. Masters has 

 remarked to me, " we see that a garden variety may acquire a more 

 permanent habit than a natural species ; " but it should have been 

 added, that this occurs under cultivation, and therefore under 

 changed conditions. 



45 Verlot, od. cit., p. 38. « Alph. De Candolle, ' Geograph. 



*• Op. cit., p. 59. Bot.,' p. 1082. 



