﻿786 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  which 
  of 
  them 
  will 
  yield 
  

   the 
  desired 
  individual. 
  But 
  what 
  is 
  impossible 
  

   in 
  the 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  may 
  be 
  feasible, 
  

   at 
  least 
  in 
  important 
  measure, 
  in 
  the 
  inspection 
  

   of 
  the 
  plants 
  which 
  bear 
  the 
  seeds. 
  Whenever 
  

   such 
  an 
  inspection 
  demonstrates 
  differences, 
  in 
  

   manifest 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  quality 
  under 
  con- 
  

   sideration, 
  any 
  one 
  will 
  readily 
  grant 
  that 
  it 
  

   would 
  be 
  useless 
  to 
  sow 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  whole 
  average 
  might 
  

   be 
  thrown 
  over, 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  only 
  possible 
  to 
  point 
  

   out 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  best. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  

   by 
  this 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  parent-plants 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   ciple 
  of 
  repeated 
  selection 
  is 
  introduced 
  for 
  two 
  

   succeeding 
  generations, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  application 
  

   to 
  a 
  larger 
  series 
  of 
  generations 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  secondary 
  importance. 
  

  

  Summing 
  up 
  our 
  discussion 
  of 
  this 
  first 
  point 
  

   we 
  may 
  assert 
  that 
  repeated 
  selection 
  is 
  only 
  

   selection 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  and 
  practical 
  scale, 
  while 
  a 
  

   single 
  choice 
  would 
  require 
  numbers 
  of 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  higher 
  than 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  available. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  discussion 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  our 
  

   pedigree-culture 
  of 
  corn 
  is 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  

   the 
  amelioration 
  obtained 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  dur- 
  

   able 
  nature, 
  or 
  only 
  temporary. 
  In 
  other 
  

   words, 
  whether 
  the 
  progeny 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  would 
  

   remain 
  constant, 
  if 
  cultivated 
  after 
  cessation 
  

   of 
  the 
  selection. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  this, 
  I 
  

  

  