Relation to Cultivation. 41 1 
ing May all the seedlings, with the exception of a few weakly 
ones, had thrown up their shoots. When the shoots had 
attained a length of 50 -75 cm., and the terminal capitulum 
could just be seen, it was found that all the plants were 
quite normal, having decussate phyllotaxis ; the only observ- 
able abnormality was one divided leaf. There were 131 plants 
with elongated shoots, and twenty-nine with only rosettes, 
160 plants in all, on the 4 square metres, so that the propor- 
tion (forty) per square metre was high ; but this number did 
not appear to be excessive, inasmuch as the plants were 
relatively small and did not touch each other more than 
would vigorous plants at a greater distance from each other. 
After the counting was done, I allowed five of the best 
specimens to remain ; they developed strong stems over 
2 metres high, which were not noticeably less vigorous than 
ordinary normal plants of the breed. 
In a control-experiment made with the same seed sown in 
the spring of 1892, I obtained twenty-two individuals out of 
sixty, that is, almost 37 per cent., having twisted stems. 
Sowing of Augtist 14, 1893. The seed used was obtained 
from two plants of the 1892 crop, and was the same as that 
used in the J une sowing of this year. They quickly germinated 
in the bed, and by the autumn had formed relatively small 
rosettes, so small, in fact, that sixty plants per square metre 
could well be left. Notwithstanding this, they nearly all 
(235) threw up their shoots in the following spring ; but 
here and there, where germination had been tardy, some 
plants, twenty in all, remained as rosettes, that is, about 
8 per cent. The stems were weak, of only about half the 
normal thickness, and their leaves were decussate up to the 
inflorescence ; there was no sign of twisting of the stem. 
Summarizing these results of summer-sowing, we find that, 
given adequate space and suitable treatment, there is an 
almost entire absence of twisted stems. The experiments 
included 179, 13 1, and 235 plants, giving a total of 545 
shoots, of which only one was twisted and one had three- 
leaved whorls, both of these exceptional plants belonging to 
