﻿Selection 
  of 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  115 
  

  

  The 
  ripe 
  heads 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  measured 
  and 
  counted 
  

   and 
  compared 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  their 
  kernels. 
  Qualities 
  of 
  grain 
  

   and 
  of 
  meal 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  considered, 
  and 
  the 
  in- 
  

   fluence 
  of 
  climate 
  and 
  soil 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  over- 
  

   looked. 
  

  

  Concerning 
  the 
  real 
  origin 
  of 
  his 
  new 
  types 
  

   Shirreff 
  seems 
  never 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  inquisi- 
  

   tive. 
  He 
  remarks 
  that 
  only 
  the 
  best 
  cultivated 
  

   varieties 
  have 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  yield 
  still 
  better 
  

   types, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  useless 
  to 
  select 
  and 
  sow 
  

   the 
  best 
  heads 
  of 
  minor 
  sorts. 
  He 
  further 
  re- 
  

   marks 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  he 
  

   found 
  a 
  new 
  sport 
  every 
  time; 
  on 
  the 
  con- 
  

   trary 
  he 
  assumes 
  that 
  his 
  selections 
  had 
  been 
  

   present 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  before, 
  and 
  during 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  succeeding 
  generations. 
  How 
  many 
  years 
  

   old 
  they 
  were, 
  was 
  of 
  course 
  impossible 
  to 
  de- 
  

   termine. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  Scotland 
  were 
  

   different 
  from 
  those 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  

   Jersey 
  by 
  Le 
  Couteur. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  year 
  1862 
  Shirreff 
  devoted 
  himself 
  to 
  

   the 
  selection 
  of 
  oats, 
  searching 
  for 
  the 
  best 
  

   panicles 
  from 
  the 
  whole 
  country, 
  and 
  compar- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  offspring 
  in 
  his 
  experimental-garden. 
  

   11 
  Early 
  Fellow," 
  " 
  Fine 
  Fellow," 
  " 
  Longfel- 
  

   low 
  ' 
  and 
  " 
  Early 
  Angus 
  " 
  are 
  very 
  notable 
  

   varieties 
  introduced 
  into 
  trade 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  