﻿Inconstancy 
  of 
  Improved 
  Races 
  773 
  

  

  two 
  heads. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  comprises 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  of 
  the 
  progeny 
  to 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tional 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  chosen 
  parent, 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  exceptional 
  offspring 
  to 
  

   the 
  exceptional 
  parents. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  consider 
  the 
  averages 
  first. 
  Are 
  they 
  

   to 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  be 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  unique 
  quality 
  

   of 
  the 
  parent, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  

   average 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  unselected 
  race? 
  Neither 
  

   of 
  these 
  cases 
  occur. 
  Experience 
  is 
  clear 
  and 
  

   definite 
  on 
  this 
  important 
  point. 
  Vilmorin, 
  

   when 
  making 
  the 
  first 
  selections 
  to 
  improve 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  sugar 
  in 
  beets, 
  was 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  of 
  the 
  progeny 
  lies 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  strain 
  and 
  the 
  qual- 
  

   ity 
  of 
  the 
  chosen 
  parent. 
  He 
  expressed 
  his 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  the 
  progeny 
  are 
  

   grouped 
  around 
  and 
  diverge 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  

   from 
  some 
  point, 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  which 
  unites 
  

   their 
  parent 
  with 
  the 
  type 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  sprang. 
  

   All 
  breeders 
  agree 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  and 
  in 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  experiments 
  it 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  confirmed. 
  

   We 
  shall 
  take 
  up 
  some 
  illustrative 
  examples 
  

   presently, 
  but 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  clear, 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  closer 
  consideration 
  to 
  the 
  

   results 
  of 
  Vilmorin. 
  

  

  From 
  his 
  experience 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  progeny 
  is 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   race 
  at 
  large, 
  but 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  chosen 
  parent. 
  

  

  