Die hier versuchte Zurückführung des wesentlichen Unterschiedes in der Entwicklung der Hybriden auf eine dauernde oder vorübergehende Verbindung der differirenden Zellelemente kann selbstverständlich nur den Werth einer Hypothese ansprechen, für welche bei dem Mangel an sicheren Daten noch ein weiterer Spielraum offen stände.
The reduction attempted here of the essential difference in the development of hybrids to a lasting or passing association of differing cell elements can of course only claim the value of a hypothesis for which further scope remains open due to the lack of firm data.
essential = wesentlichen Sherwood has “important”, thus masking the fact that this refers back to p. 40, s. 6, where Mendel states that an “essential difference” exists between “hybrids which remain constant in their descendants” and hybrids whose progeny varies.
association = Verbindung Bateson has “union”; see p. 10, s. 14 and p. 42, s. 2.
cell elements = Zellelemente See p. 41, s. 6.
claim = ansprechen Mendel is expressing himself in a very odd way here. Ansprechen means “to address someone”, or as a transitive verb that something is perceived as attractive by someone. It is probable, that ansprechen is wrongly used for beanspruchen, which means “to lay claim to”. The manuscript has ansprechen as well.
further scope = weiterer Spielraum Bateson has “wide field”, Sherwood “some latitude”. Spielraum is a word usually used to designate a range of options open in the course of actions or arrangements.
firm data = sicheren Daten Bateson has “definite”, Sherwood “well-substantiated”. Mendel states here that the data available are uncertain, probably thinking of the faults in Gärtner’s and Kölreuter’s experiments that he discussed in the preceding section. Talk about “data” was already quite common in natural history at his time; see David Sepkoski, “Towards ‘A Natural History of Data’: Evolving Practices and Epistemologies of Data in Paleontology, 1800–2000”, Journal of the History of Biology 46 (2013), pp. 401–444.