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They came into existence at once, fully equipped, without preparation or
intermediate steps. No series of generations, no selection, no struggle
for existence was needed. It was a sudden leap into another type, a
sport in the best acceptation of the word. It fulfilled my hopes, and at
once gave proof of the possibility of the direct observation of the
origin of species, and of the experimental control thereof.
The third generation was in the main a repetition of the second. I tried
some 10,000 seedlings and found three _lata_ and three _nanella_, or
nearly the same proportion as in the first instance. But besides these a
_rubrinervis_ made its appearance and flowered the following year. This
fact at once revealed the possibility that the instability of
_lamarckiana_ might not be restricted to the three new types now under
observation. Hence the question arose how it would be possible to obtain
other types or to find them if they were present. It was necessary to
have better methods of cultivation and examination of the young plants.
Accordingly I devoted the three succeeding years to working on this
problem.
I found that it was not at all necessary to sow any larger quantities of
seed, but that the young plants must have room enough to develop into
full and free rosettes.
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