mitted by all horticulturists: if a gardener observes one or two
additional petals in a flower, he feels confident that in a few generations
he will be able to raise a double flower, crowded with petals. Some of the
seedlings from the weeping Moccas oak were so prostrate that they only
crawled along the ground. A seedling from the fastigate or upright Irish
yew is described as differing greatly from the parent-form "by the
exaggeration of the fastigate habit of its branches."[592] Mr. Sheriff, who
has been more successful than any other man in raising new kinds of wheat,
remarks, "A good variety may safely be regarded as the forerunner of a
better one."[593] A great rose-grower, Mr. Rivers, has made the same remark
with respect to roses. Sageret,[594] who had large experience, in speaking
of the future progress of fruit-trees, observes that the most important
principle is "that the more plants have departed from their original type,
the more they tend to depart from it." There is apparently much truth in
this {242} remark; for we can in no other way understand the surprising
amount of difference between varieties in the parts or qualities which are
valued, whilst other parts retain nearly their original character.

The foregoing discussion naturally leads to the question, what is the limit
to the possible amount of variation in any part or quality, and,
consequently, is there any limit to what selection can effect? Will a
race-horse ever be reared fleeter than Eclipse? Can our prize-cattle and
sheep be still further improved? Will a gooseberry ever weigh more than
that produced by "London" in 1852? Will the beet-root in France yield a
greater percentage of sugar? Will future varieties of wheat and other grain
produce heavier crops than our present varieties? These questions cannot be
positively answered; but it is certain that we ought to be cautious in
answering by a negative. In some lines of variation the limit has probably
been reached. Youatt believes that the reduction of bone in some of our
sheep has already been carried so far that it entails great delicacy of
constitution.[595] But seeing the great improvement within recent times in
our cattle and sheep, and especially in our pigs; seeing the wonderful
increase in weight in our poultry of all kinds during the last few years;
he would be a bold man who would assert that perfection has been reached.
Eclipse perhaps may never be beaten until all our race-horses have