﻿Monstrosities 
  415 
  

  

  individual, 
  and 
  selection 
  requires 
  the 
  compari- 
  

   son 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  fifty 
  or 
  more 
  individuals. 
  This 
  

   brings 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  specimens 
  to 
  be 
  

   counted 
  up 
  to 
  some 
  tens 
  of 
  thousands. 
  In 
  prac- 
  

   tice, 
  where 
  important 
  interests 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  

   experiments, 
  such 
  numbers 
  are 
  usually 
  em- 
  

   ployed 
  and 
  often 
  exceeded, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  culture 
  

   of 
  monstrosities 
  other 
  methods 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  sought 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  these 
  difficulties. 
  

  

  The 
  idea 
  suggests 
  itself 
  here 
  that 
  the 
  younger 
  

   the 
  plants 
  are, 
  when 
  showing 
  their 
  distinguish- 
  

   ing 
  marks, 
  the 
  more 
  of 
  them 
  may 
  be 
  grown 
  on 
  a 
  

   small 
  space. 
  Hence 
  the 
  best 
  way 
  is 
  to 
  choose 
  

   such 
  attributes, 
  as 
  may 
  already 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   young 
  seedlings, 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  first 
  few 
  weeks 
  of 
  

   their 
  lives. 
  Fortunately 
  the 
  seed-leaves 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  afford 
  such 
  distinctive 
  marks, 
  and 
  by 
  this 
  

   means 
  may 
  be 
  counted 
  in 
  the 
  seedling 
  

   pans, 
  requiring 
  no 
  culture 
  at 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  gar- 
  

   den. 
  Only 
  the 
  selected 
  individuals 
  need 
  be 
  

   grown 
  to 
  ripen 
  their 
  seeds, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  selec- 
  

   tion 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  in 
  the 
  glass- 
  

   house. 
  Instead 
  of 
  being 
  very 
  troublesome, 
  the 
  

   determination 
  of 
  the 
  hereditary 
  percentages 
  

   becomes 
  a 
  definite 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   experiments. 
  Moreover 
  it 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  effect- 
  

   ed 
  by 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  cares 
  for 
  experimental 
  

   studies, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  the 
  means 
  required 
  for 
  cul- 
  

   tures 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale. 
  And 
  lastly, 
  there 
  are 
  

  

  