H I
7 . N o w Hie p r om in e n t p h e n om e n a p r e s en ted b y sp e c ie s u n d e r c u ltiv a t io n ai*e a n a lo g o u s in k in d
a n d e x t e n t t o th o s e w h ich w e h a v e d e r iv ed fr om a su rv ey o f th e a ffin itie s o f p la n ts in a s ta te o f
n a t u r e : a la r g e n um b e r r em a in ap p a r en tly p e rm a n en t an d u n a lte r a b le , an d a la r g e n um b e r vary
in d e fin ite ly . O f th e p e rm a n en t th e r e i s li t t l e t o r emai'k, e x c ep t th a t th e y b e lo n g to v e ry m a n y
o rd e r s o f p la n ts , n o r are th e y a lw a y s th o s e w h ic h are p e rm a n en t in a s ta t e o f n a tu r e . M a n y p la n ts,
a ck n ow led g ed b y a ll t o b e v a r ie tie s , m a y b e p ro p a g a ted by s e ed or o th e rw ise , w h en th e ir o ffsp r in g r e t
a in s fo r m a n y su c c e s s iv e g e n e r a t io n s th e ch a ra c te r s o f th e v a r ie ty . O n th e o th e r h an d , sp e c ie s
w h ic h h a v e r em a in ed im m u ta b le fo r m a n y g e n e r a t io n s im d e r c u lt iv a tio n , d o a t le n g th c om m en c e to
va ry , an d h a v in g o n c e b e g u n , are th e r e a fte r pecu lia i-ly p r o n e t o va ry fu r th e r .
8 . T h e v a r ia b le c u ltiv a te d sp e c ie s p r e s e n t u s w ith th e m o s t im p o r ta n t p h en om en a for in v e s t ig
a t in g th e law s o f m u ta b ility an d p e rm a n e n c e ; b u t th e s e p h eu om en a are so in f in ite ly v aried , c om p
lex , a n d ap p a r en tly c o n tr a d ic to r y , a s to d e fea t a ll a ttem p ts to e lu c id a te th e h is to r y o f a n y in d iv id u a l
ea se o f v a i-iation b y a s tu d y o f i t s p h a se s a lo n e . I t w o u ld o f te n appear d o u b tfu l w h e th e r th e n a tu r a l
op e r a tio n s o f a p la n t t e n d m o s t to in d u c e o r to o p p o se v a r ia t io n ; au d w'e h e n c e fin d th e ad v o ca te s o f
o r ig in a l p e rm a n e n t c r e a tio n s, an d th o s e o f m u ta b le v a r ia b le sp e c ie s, ta k in g e x a c tly op p o site v iew s in
th is r e sp e c t, th e tr u th , I b e lie v e , b e in g th a t b o th are r ig h t . N a tu r e h a s p r o r id ed fo r th e p o s s ib ility o f
in d e fin ite v a r ia tio n , b u t sh e r e g u la te s i t a s t o e x t e n t a n d d u r a tio n ; sh e w ill n e ith e r a llow h e r o ffspring
t o b e w e a k en ed or e x h a u s ted b y p r om iscu o u s h y b r id iz a t io n a n d in c e s s a n t v a r ia tio n , n o r w ill sh e suffer
a n ew c om b in a tio n o f e x te rn a l c o n d itio n s t o d e str o y o n e o f th e s e v a r ie tie s w ith o u t p r o v id in g a su b s
t itu t e w h en n e c e s s a r y ; h e n c e som e sp e c ie s r em a in so lo n g her ed ita i-ily im m u ta b le as to g iv e r is e to
t h e d o c tr in e th a t a ll are so n o rm a lly , w h ile o th e r s ar e so m u ta b le a s t o in d u c e a b e lie f in th e v e ry
o p p o s ite d o c tr in e , w h ic h d em a n d s in c e s s a n t law le s s ch a n g e .
9 . I t w ou ld ta k e far to o lo n g a t im e w e r e I to a tt em p t an y a n a ly s is o f th e p h en om en a o f c u lt iv
a tio n , a s illu s tr a tiv e o f th o s e o f v a r ia b ility in a s ta t e o f n a tu r e . T h e r e are h ow ev e r som e b road fa c ts
w h ic h sh o u ld b e b o rn e in m in d in t r e a tin g o f v a r ia tio n b y c ro ss im p r e g n a tio n an d h y b r id ity .
1 0 . V a r ia tio n is e ffe c ted b y g r a d u a ted c h a n g e s ; an d th e t e n d e n c y o f v a r ie tie s, b o th in n a tu r e
a n d u n d e r c u ltiv a tio n , w h en fu r th e r v a r y in g , i s ra th e r t o dep a r t m o r e a n d m o r e w id e ly from th e
o r ig in a l ty p e , th a n t o r ev e r t t o i t : th e b e s t m a rk ed v a r ie tie s o f a w ild sp e c ie s o c cu r r in g o n th e
c o n fin e s o f th e a r ea th e sp e c ie s in h a b its , a n d th e b e s t m a rk ed -varieties o f th e cu ltiv a te d sp e c ie s
b e in g th o s e la s t prod u c ed b y th e g a rd en e r . I am aw a r e th a t th e p r e v a len t o p in io n is th a t th e r e is a
s tr o n g te n d e n c y in c u ltiv a ted , an d in d e e d in all v a r ie tie s, t o r ev e r t t o th e ty p e fr om w h ic h th e y d e p
a r ted ; au d I h a v e m y s e lf q u o ted t h is o p in io n , w ith o u t q u e s t io n in g it s a c cu r a c y ,* a s t e n d in g t o su p -
subject to the infiaeuce of fundamentally different laws. He says, “ N o inferences as to varieties in a state of
nature can be deduced from the observation o f those occurring among domestic animals. The two arc so much opposed
that what applies to the one is almost sure not to apply to the other.” , But, in the first place, o f the same species
o f wild animals some families must be placed where certain faculties and senses are far more exercised than others,
and the difference in this respect between the conditions o f many families of udld animals is as great as those between
many wild and tame families; and secondly, other senses and faculties, latent and unknown in the wild animal, but
which are as proper to the species as any it exercised in its wild state, are manifested or developed by it under
domestication. An animal in a state o f natui-e is not then, as Mr. Wallace assumes, “ in the fuR exercise of eveiy
part of its organization;” were it so, it could not vary or alter with altered conditions, nor could other faculties remain
to be called into play under domestication. The tendency of species when varying cannot be to depart from
the original type in a wild condition and to revert to it under domestication, for man cannot invert the order of
Nature, though he may hasten or retard some of its processes.
* FI. N . Zeal., Introd. Essay, p. x ,, and Flora Indica, Introduction, p. 14.
p o r t th e v iew s o f th o s e u'ho r egard sp e c ie s as p e rm a n en t. A fu r th e r a cq u a in ta n c e w ith th e r e su lt s o f
g a r d e n in g o p e ra tio n s lea d s m e n ow t o d o u b t th e e x is t e n c e o f th is c en tr ip e ta l fo r c e in v a r ie tie s , or at
le a s t t o b e lie v e th a t in th e p h ra se “ r e v e r sio n to th e w ild ty p e ,” m a n y v e r y d iffe r en t p h en om en a are
in c lu d ed . I n th e fir st p la c e , th e m a jo r ity o f cu ltiv a ted v e g e ta b le s an d c e r e a lia , su c h a s th e C a b b a g e
au d it s n um e r o u s p r o g en y , an d th e v a r ie tie s o f w a ll-fru it, sh ow w h en n e g le c t e d n o d isp o s it io n to
a ssum e th e ch a ra c te r s o f t h e w ild s ta te s o f th e s e p la n t s ;* th e y c e r ta in ly d e g en e r a te , a n d ev en d ie if
N a tu r e d o e s n o t su p p ly th e c o n d itio n s w h ich m a n (by a n tic ip a tio n o f h e r op e ra tio n s, or o th e rw ise ) h as
p r o v id ed ; th e y b e c om e s tu n t e d , h a rd , a n d w o o d y , a n d r e s em b le th e ir w ild p r o g en ito r s in so far a s all
s tu n t e d p la n ts r e sem b le w ild p la n ts o f s im ila r h a b it ; b u t th is is n o t a r e v e r sio n t o th e o r ig in a l ty p e ,
for m o s t o f th e s e cu ltiv a ted ra c e s are n o t m e r e ly lu x u r ia n t fo rm s o f th e w ild p a r en t. I n n e g le c te d
fie ld s an d g a rd en s w e se e p la n ts o f S c o t c h K a le , B ru s s e ls S p r o u ts, or K o h l-r a b i, to b e a ll a s u n lik e
th e ir c om m o n p a r en t, th e w ild B r a s s ic a o le rá c e a , as th e y are im lik e o n e a n o th e r ; so , to o , m o s t o f our
fin e r k in d s o f ap p le s, i f g r ow n from seed , d eg en e r a te an d b e c om e c rabs, b u t in so d o in g th e y b e c om e
c rab s ta te s o f th e v a r ie tie s t o w h ich th e y b e lo n g , and d o n o t r ev e r t to th e o r ig in a l w ild C rah -ap p le .
A n d th e sam e is tr u e t o a g r e a t e x te n t o f cu ltiv a ted R o s e s , o f m a u y v a r ie tie s o f tr e e s , o f th e R a sp ber
ry, S traw b e r ry , an d in d e ed o f m o s t ga rd en p la n ts . I t h a s a lso b e en h e ld , th a t b y im ita t in g th e
c o n d itio n s u n d e r w h ic h th e w ild s ta te o f a cu ltiv a te d v a r ie ty g r ow s, w e m a y in d u c e th a t v a r ie ty to '
r ev e r t t o i t s o r ig in a l s ta t e ; b u t, e x c e p t in th e fa ls e sen se o f r ev e r sio n abo^’e e x p la in ed , I d o u b t i f th is
is su p p o r ted b y ev id en c e . C ab b a g e s g r ow n b y th e s e a sid e are n o t m o r e lik e w ild C ab b a g e s th a n
th o s e g r ow n e lsew h e r e , and i f c u lt iv a te d s ta t e s d is s em in a te th em s e lv e s a lo n g th e c o a st, th e y th e r e
r e ta in th e ir cu ltiv a te d fo rm . T h is is h ow ev e r a su b je c t w h ich w o u ld fill a v o lum e w ith m o s t in s t r u c t
iv e m a tte r fo r r e fle c tion , an d w h ich r e c e iv e s a h u n d r ed fo ld m o r e illu s tr a tio n from th e A n im a l th a n
from th e V e g e ta b le K in g d om . I ca n h e r e o n ly in d ic a te it s b e a r in g o n th e d o c tr in e o f v a r ia tion ,
a s ev id en c e th a t N a tu r e op e ra te s u p on m u ta b le fo rm s b y a llow in g g r e a t v a r ia tion , a n d d isp la y in g
lit t le t e n d e n c y t o r e v e r s io n .f W ith th is law th e s u g g e s tiv e ob se rv a tio n o f M . V ilm o r in w e ll a c cord s,
th a t w h en o n c e th e c o n s t itu t io n o f a p la n t is so b r o k en th a t v a r ia tion i s in d u c ed , i t is e a sy to m u lt ip
ly th e v a r ie tie s in su c c e e d in g g en e r a tio n s.
I t m a y b e o b je c ted to th is l in e o f a r g um en t th a t ou r cu ltiv a ted p la n ts a re, a s r eg a rd s th e ir
c o n s titu tio n , in a n artific ia l co n d itio n , an d a re, i f u n a id ed , in ca p a b le o f s e lf-p e rp e tu a tio n ; b u t a n ar tif
ic ia lly in d u c ed c o n d itio n o f c o n s titu t io n is n o t n e c e s sa r ily a d isea sed o r u n n a tu r a l o n e , an d , so far as
o u r cu ltiv a te d p la n ts are con c e rn ed , a ll w e d o is to p la c e th em u n d e r c o n d itio n s w h ich N a tu r e d o e s
n o t p ro v id e a t th e sam e p a r t i c u la r p la c e a n d tim e . T h a t N a tu r e m ig h t su p p ly th e c o n d itio n s a t o th e r
p la c e s an d t im e s m a y b e in fe r r ed from th e fa c t th a t th e p la n t is fo u n d to b e p rovid ed w ith th e m ean s
o f a v a ilin g i t s e lf o f th em wdien p rovid ed , w h ile a t th e sam e t im e i t r e ta in s a ll it s fu n c t io n s , n o t o n ly
u n im p a ir ed , b u t in m a n y ca se s in a m o r e h ig h ly d ev e lop ed s ta te . W e h a v e n o r ea so n to suppose
th a t we h a v e v io la ted N a tu r e ’s law s in p r o d u c in g a n ew v a r ie ty o f w h e a t,— w e m a y h a v e o n ly a n t ic
ip a ted t h em ; n o r is it s c o n s titu tio n im p a ir ed b e c a u se it c a n n o t, u n a id ed , p e rp e tu a te its r a c e ; it is
in a s sou n d au d u n b ro k en h e a lth and v ig o u r d u r in g it s life a s a n y w ild v a r ie ty is, b u t it s offsp r in g
* Hence the great and acknowledged difficulty of determining the m id parent species o f m ost of our cultivated
fi-uits, ceroalia, etc., and in fact of almost every member of our Flora Cibaria. This would not be so were there
any di^osition in the neglected cultivated races to revert to the wild form,
t It is not meant by this that any character o f a species which may be lost in its variety never reappears in
the descendants o f the latter, for some occasionally da so in great force ; what is meant is, that the newly acquired
characters o f the variety are never so entirely obliterated that it has no longer a claim to be considered a variety.