" E. L. E.," Omaha. Nebraska, writes: "Will you please give some information in next issue of Gardeners' Monthly, in regard to sports? Do they proceed from stem or radicle, or both? Do fruit trees ever produce them? Can they be accounted for upon any scientific principle?"

[This did not reach the Editor till the 19th. Communications for notice in our " next issue," should be received before the 5th of each month.

Bud variations, as "sports" are termed in vegeable biology, usually come from any part of the stems or branches. There is no reason why they may not come from the root, though we do not recall at this moment an instance. It is, however, remarkable that many variegated plants, which have originated as sports, and which perpetuate the "sport" by cuttings of the stems, lose the variegation when propagated from root cuttings. This is, however, by no means the rule, as Pyrus japonica variegata comes true from root cuttings. It was at one time believed that even variations from seed might not come true from root cuttings; but double bouvardias perpetuate themselves very well in this way. Sports among fruits are very common, though fruit-growers have not recognized the fact to the extent that florists have, and thus attempted to propagate the sport by grafting. It is quite frequent to read of Russet apples coming on trees of smooth-skinned kinds, or the reverse; of sweet apples appearing on sour apple trees; of long apples, or round apples where normally we should find the reverse; and the nectarine, as is well known, originated as a sport from the branch of a peach.

The underlying principle that produces variation, either in the shape of "sports," or from seed, has never been revealed by any scientific man; and the study offers a rich field for some one. We can see a very good reason why variation should be a governing principle in nature. In the absence of variation, just imagine how impossible existence would be ! If every child were the exact image of its parent; if every human being were the exact counterpart of every other human being, we could not tell one from the other.

No further illustration is needed to show that variation is an essential principle in the fore-ordination of nature. Even the acute Darwin could get no further than to assume that variation was a law of nature; and his theories of evolution have been built on this assumption. But no one has the slightest idea of the underlying principle of the thing. True, Mr. Darwin thought that "domestication," "climate," "environment," and other indefinite ideas covered by these terms, had an influence in determining changes in organic things; but we think we are not mistaken in saying, that with the progress of knowledge since Mr. Darwin's time, the best students place very little value on these circumstances as essential factors in change. They prefer to say that really nothing is known of the principles governing change. Variation being evidently a necessity to existence, changes would go right on, and did go on, long before "domestication" entered the world; long before man made his appearance here. - Ed. G. M].