The single varieties are in respect to this
character true to the original wild type. They never give seed which
results in doubles, providing all intercrossing is excluded. The other
varieties are ever-sporting, in the sense of this term previously
assumed, but with the restriction that the sports are exclusively
one-sided, and never return, owing to their absolute sterility.
The oldest double varieties of stocks have attained an age of a century
and more. During all this time they have had a continuous pedigree of
fertile and single-flowered individuals, throwing off in each generation
a definite number of doubles. This ratio is not at all dependent on
chance or accident, nor is it even variable to a remarkable degree.
Quite on the contrary [333] it is always the same, or nearly the same,
and it is to be considered as an inherent quality of the race. If left
to themselves, the single individuals always produce singles and doubles
in the same quantity; if cultivated after some special method, the
proportion may be slightly changed, bringing the proportion of doubles
up to 60% or even more.
Ordinarily the single and double members of such a race are quite equal
in the remainder of their attributes, especially in the color of their
flowers. But this is not always the case.
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