CHAPTER II 



THE BEARING OF MENDEL'S DISCOVERY 



ON THE ORIGIN OF HEREDITARY 



CHARACTERS 



Between the years 1857 and 1865 Gregor 

 Mendel, Augustinian monk, studied the hered- 

 ity of certain characters of the common edible 

 pea, in the garden of the monastery at Briinn. 



In his account of his work published in 1868, 

 he said: 



"It requires indeed some courage to undertake a 

 labor of such a far-reaching extent ; it appears, how- 

 ever, to be the only right way by which we can finally 

 reach the solution of a question the importance of 

 which cannot be over-estimated in connection with 

 the history of the evolution of organic forms." 



He tells us also why he selected peas for his 

 work : 



"The selection of the plant group which shall serve 

 for experiments of this kind must be made with all 

 possible care if it be desired to avoid from the outset 

 every risk of questionable results." 



"The experimental plants must necessarily 

 40 



