﻿Artificial 
  and 
  Natural 
  Selection 
  811 
  

  

  

  

  ordinary 
  rye, 
  and 
  are 
  seen 
  protruding, 
  when 
  

   ripe, 
  from 
  between 
  the 
  scales 
  of 
  the 
  spikelets. 
  

   It 
  is 
  unfit 
  for 
  poor 
  soils, 
  but 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  

   best 
  varieties 
  for 
  soils 
  of 
  medium 
  fertility 
  in 
  

   a 
  temperate 
  climate. 
  It 
  is 
  equal 
  in 
  the 
  produc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  grain 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  French 
  sorts, 
  but 
  

   far 
  surpassing 
  them 
  in 
  its 
  amount 
  of 
  straw. 
  

   It 
  was 
  perfected 
  at 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Schlanstedt 
  

   very 
  slowly, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  current 
  concep- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  period. 
  The 
  experiment 
  was 
  

   started 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1866, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  Rim- 
  

   pau 
  collected 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  heads 
  from 
  

   among 
  his 
  fields, 
  and 
  sowed 
  their 
  ker- 
  

   nels 
  in 
  his 
  experiment-garden. 
  From 
  this 
  first 
  

   culture 
  the 
  whole 
  race 
  was 
  derived. 
  Every 
  year 
  

   the 
  best 
  ears 
  of 
  the 
  strain 
  were 
  chosen 
  for 
  re- 
  

   peated 
  culture, 
  under 
  experimental 
  care, 
  while 
  

   the 
  remainder 
  was 
  multiplied 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  to 
  fur- 
  

   nish 
  the 
  seeds 
  for 
  large 
  and 
  continually 
  increas- 
  

   ing 
  areas 
  of 
  his 
  farms. 
  

  

  Two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  were 
  required 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  seed 
  of 
  each 
  kind 
  required 
  

   for 
  all 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  Schlanstedt. 
  The 
  experi- 
  

   ment-garden, 
  which 
  through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

   Rimpau 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  of 
  visiting 
  more 
  

   than 
  once 
  between 
  1875 
  and 
  1878, 
  was 
  situ- 
  

   ated 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  his 
  farm, 
  at 
  some 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  from 
  the 
  dwellings. 
  Of 
  course 
  it 
  was 
  

   treated 
  with 
  more 
  care, 
  and 
  especially 
  kept 
  

  

  