The Florida agriculturist., 1884-06-25

times, to reappear in the products even
OF those parts which did not seem before
to be effected. Such are the orange de
bizarrerie, the violet orange, and the va
riable-tiower pink. In these cases the
fruits affected are sterile, or semi-sterile,
and the fruits not affected produce seeds.
Corollary UI.-Farieties.- The mix
ture and proportion of the reproductive
principles of several individuals OF the
same species have given rise to varieties.
Varieties are only alterations or depar-
lures from the type. They are OF two
sorts: Varieties from excess, and varie-
ties from deficiency. Varietie from ex-
cess are due to superabundance of the
the masculine part, and still more to the
mixture of the pollen OF several flowers
Varieties from deficiency are due to the
lack OF proportion between the sexes, or
the weakness of the masculine part.
They are also sometimes due to a defec-
tive organization of the ovary Varie-
ties from excess most frequently tend to
sterility. They are marked by a striking
thrift and lack of thorns. Their seeds,
when they have any, reproduce the type,
unless a foreign formulation has acted
upon the flower and formed new COM
hination.
Thus every sterile or semi-sterile fruit
is only variety. Its seed, in the state
of nature, will return to the species. 1t
is, therefore, by means of the seed-bed
that we are enabled to recognize the
species to which varieties belong. Stout
ness and the loss of thorns always
accompany the absence of seeds. 1t
is, therefore, at the expense of the
generative parts that vegetables acquire
marked development in the leaf, bud, or
fruit. Nature assimilated them to animals
which acquire volume and lose the hair
when they are barren. Varieties from
deficiency deviate from the type for rea
sons directly opposite to those which
cause deviation in varieties from excess.
The imperfection of the fecundation al
fects the germs which bear in their prin
ciples defect of organization. These
germs produce old wild plants, as we
cal them .55s WHICH are dsgenerats indi-
ganized, and whose seeds are poorly
nourished. These seeds, which often
perish, still ordinarily generate feeble
and languishing plants, but sometimes
they give types. -A--s- ssa-.3 a.s-- s-s-
1t is to the accidental vigor of a branch
bearing well-formed flowers that we owe
this return to the species. Thus, varie-
ties by deficiency are due often to cli-
mate and culture, but these infineiices
act only indirectly. They facilitate or
retard the development, of individuals,
and, consequently, the perfection of the
reproductive principles; but every
change is operated in the germ and only
as the effect of fecundation.
Every variety is a monster to nature,
and some varieties are SO regarded by
men, such as. the varieties from deficien-
cy. But varieties from excess ordinarily
form the delight of the table and the
ornament OF the garden Nature aims
at only the production OIL the sseed, and
when fruit bears many seeds, it is
perfect in the systemof Nature.
Man seeks only pleasure in Nature,
and hence judges differently of vegeta-'
BILE productions, on account of the adj
vantage to be derived from their use.
He therefore prefers in certain fruits,
those varieties whose pericarp is more
developed, tender and juicy. Heis thus
opposed to Nature, as in the case of the
apple, pear and peach. In other fruits
he prizes the cotyledons or seeds, and
regards the pericarp as useless, the more
so in proportion to its development; and
in this he approaches the plan of Nature,
as in the almond, chestnut, the bean,
and the pea.
Others still are priced for portion OF
the pericarp, and variety is considered
choice only when this part is developed
at the expense OF the pulp, as in the
melon and citron. Other fruits are val
ued for the pulp only, as the lemon and
orange. There are also vegetables in
which the flower alone is esteemed and
then that variety has the preference
in which this part is developed at
the expense of the generative parts, as
in double and sterile flowers.
Others are sought only for their aroma,
as the sour orange. Finally, capricious
man attaches value to monsters even,
which are useless to him, and seeks for
ornament odd and rare forms, such as
shriveled leaves, leaves developing out
of proportion the yellow streak which
borders the leaf, a tendency of the
branches to descend to the soil, and 9TH
er monstrosities of this nature. All
these caprices form the ornament of our
gardens and the delight of our tables
but to Nature they are departures from
the object she has proposed to herself.
She repels them and condemns them to
perish. But man has succeeded in pre-
Serving and multiplying them. The
seed refusing to give germs capable of
reproducing them, he has propogated
the individual he possesses by dividing
itinto thousand parts, and thus by gratis
and scions preserves it without change.