It warns us that only a small part of the
novelties introduced yearly are due to real mutations. Further instances
of novelties with such a common origin are the purple-leaved dahlias,
the gooseberries without prickles, the double petunias, erect gloxinias
and many others. Accumulation of characters, acquired in different races
of a species, may easily be effected in this way; in fact it is one of
the important factors in the breeding of horticultural novelties.
I have alluded more than once in this lecture to the question, whether
it is probable that mutations occur in one individual or in more. The
common belief among horticulturists is that, as a rule, they appear in a
single plant. This belief is so widespread that whenever a novelty is
seen for the first time in two or more specimens it is at once suggested
that it might have originated and been overlooked in a previous
generation. Not caring to confess a lack of close observation, the
number of mutants in such cases is usually kept secret. At least this
statement has been made to me by some of the horticulturists at Erfurt,
whom I visited some years ago in order to learn as much as [627]
possible about the methods of production of their novelties. Hence it is
simply impossible to decide the question on the basis of the experience
of the breeders.
Pages:
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601