1909] The Ottawa Naturalist. 109 



The above practise is, in essence, the selecting of fluctuating 

 variations which, if continued, results in raising the "mean" of 

 the ordinary strain to a higher plain. Some authorities such as 

 Johannsen, Pearson and DeVries contend that the selecting of 

 fluctuating characters can do little by way of improving the race. 

 They admit, in part at least, that the average or "mean" of the 

 race or strain may be raised by this means, but claim that once 

 selection ceases the erst-while improved strain will return to its 

 original condition. Of this contention Plate says: "This theory 

 is based on forms which have been highly modified within a few 

 years, so that there has not been a sufficient time to modify the 

 original hereditary tendency established by centuries. Many 

 facts indicate that the intensity of heredit}^ depends upon the 

 number of generations during which selection has been practised. 

 Long inherited characters are difficult to eradicate; recent ones 

 easy. Many gradually selected races of doves are now almost 

 entirely constant. A race developed artificially by slow, per- 

 sistent selection for a great number of years would show the same 

 relative fixity of types as do our natural species." The results 

 realized thus far by the Association through this method of 

 selection strongly show that a definite improvement has been 

 made in the original strain. This improvement has taken the 

 form of increased yields, better quality, greater uniformity and 

 purity, greater vigor and greater ability to resist disease. Though 

 it may be necessary to continue the selection from year to year 

 in order to maintain the standard yet such seems to be justified 

 by the results accruing therefrom. 



In the past certain specially progressive and observant 

 growers have found heads of grain in their fields which were so 

 distinctly different from any others that they kept them separate 

 and sowed the seed secured therefrom in their garden with the 

 result that in many cases new varieties have been developed. 

 These strange plants were undoubtedly mutations. As examples 

 of these we have the Dawson's Golden Chaft" wheat, Goldthorpe 

 barley and many other well known varieties. This is a line of 

 work which should be encouraged as much as possible. 



Other members of the Association have found time to follow 

 the more complicated system of selecting and propagating 

 individual plants separately, and by a process of elimination 

 finally isolating pure so-called "elementary" types. This latter 

 method which is based on the DeVriesian theory, is probably 

 the quickest and safest to follow, but on account of the amount 

 of careful work and detail which is involved it is not a system 

 which the Association is strongly recommending at present for 

 the average farmer in the improvement of his smaller grain crops. 



