﻿298 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  Lack 
  of 
  time 
  also 
  renders 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  

   questions 
  which 
  attach 
  themselves 
  to 
  our 
  main 
  question, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  effect 
  which 
  cultivation 
  may 
  produce. 
  

   We 
  cannot 
  touch 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  inheritance 
  of 
  acquired 
  

   peculiarities, 
  or 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  cultivation 
  predisposes 
  

   the 
  plant 
  to 
  innumerable 
  modifications. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  modifi- 
  

   cations 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  in 
  passing, 
  because 
  they 
  serve 
  to 
  

   exemplify 
  the 
  practical 
  character 
  of 
  our 
  subject. 
  

  

  Cultivation 
  brings 
  about 
  in 
  plants 
  very 
  curious 
  morphologi- 
  

   cal 
  changes. 
  For 
  example, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  well 
  known 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  metamorphosed 
  type-leaves 
  forming 
  the 
  

   ovary 
  is 
  two, 
  and 
  yet 
  under 
  cultivation, 
  the 
  number 
  increases 
  

   irregularly 
  until 
  the 
  full 
  number 
  of 
  units 
  in 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  

   flower 
  is 
  reached. 
  Professor 
  Bailey 
  of 
  Cornell 
  has 
  called 
  

   attention 
  to 
  some 
  further 
  interesting 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  tomato, 
  

   but 
  the 
  one 
  mentioned 
  suffices 
  to 
  illustrate 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  

   variation 
  which 
  plants 
  under 
  cultivation 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  take. 
  

   Monstrosities 
  are 
  very 
  apt 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  cultivated 
  plants, 
  and 
  

   under 
  certain 
  conditions 
  may 
  be 
  perpetuated 
  in 
  succeeding 
  

   generations, 
  thus 
  widening 
  the 
  field 
  from 
  which 
  utilizable 
  

   plants 
  may 
  be 
  taken. 
  

  

  Another 
  case 
  of 
  change 
  produced 
  by 
  cultivation 
  is 
  likewise 
  

   as 
  yet 
  wholly 
  unexplained, 
  although 
  much 
  studied, 
  namely 
  the 
  

   mutual 
  interaction 
  of 
  scion 
  and 
  stock 
  in 
  grafting, 
  budding, 
  and 
  

   the 
  like. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  a 
  further 
  investigation 
  of 
  this 
  

   subject 
  may 
  yet 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  new 
  possibilities 
  in 
  plants. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  now 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  practical 
  question 
  of 
  all, 
  

   namely 
  — 
  

  

  In 
  what 
  way 
  can 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  commercial 
  botany 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  ? 
  In 
  what 
  manner 
  or 
  by 
  what 
  means 
  can 
  the 
  introduc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  new 
  species 
  be 
  hastened 
  l 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  you 
  are 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   amount 
  of 
  uncoordinated 
  work 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  and 
  is 
  

   now 
  in 
  hand 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  bringing 
  in 
  new 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  competition 
  between 
  the 
  importers 
  of 
  new 
  plants 
  is 
  so 
  

   great 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  Old 
  World 
  and 
  the 
  New 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  would 
  naturally 
  commend 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  florists, 
  for 
  the 
  adornment 
  of 
  green- 
  

   houses, 
  or 
  for 
  commercial 
  ends, 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  or 
  

   another 
  brought 
  before 
  the 
  public 
  or 
  are 
  being 
  accumulated 
  in 
  

   stock. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  although 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent 
  with 
  regard 
  

   to 
  useful 
  vegetables 
  and 
  fruit. 
  Hardly 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  

   we 
  can 
  suggest 
  as 
  desirable 
  for 
  trial, 
  has 
  not 
  already 
  been 
  

   investigated 
  in 
  Europe 
  or 
  this 
  country, 
  and 
  reported 
  on. 
  The 
  

   pages 
  of 
  our 
  chemical, 
  pharmaceutical, 
  medical, 
  horticultural, 
  

   agricultural 
  and 
  trade 
  journals, 
  especially 
  those 
  of 
  high 
  grade, 
  

   contain 
  a 
  wealth 
  of 
  material 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  

  

  