Choice might be made from among a wide range of different types. A
variety of corn called "Harlequin" shows stripes on its kernels, and one
ear may offer nearly white and nearly red seeds and all the possible
intermediate steps between them. From these seeds the next generation
will repeat the motley ears, but some specimens will produce ears of
uniform kernels of a dark purple, showing thus the ordinary way of
reversion. Some varieties of beans have spotted seeds, and among a lot
of them one may be sure to find some purely red ones. It remains to be
investigated what will be their offspring, and whether they are due to
partial or to individual variation.
The cockscomb (_Celosia cristata_) has varieties of nearly all colors
from white and yellow to red and orange, and besides them some striped
varieties occur in our gardens, with the stripes going from the lower
parts of the stem up to the very crest of the comb. They are on sale as
constant varieties, but nothing has as yet been recorded concerning
their peculiar behavior in the inheritance of the stripes. [328] Striped
grapes, apples and other fruits might be mentioned in this connection.
Before leaving the striped varieties, attention is called to an
interesting deduction, which probably gives an explanation of one of the
most widely known instances of ever-sporting garden plants.
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