﻿818 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  bers 
  and 
  their 
  average 
  has 
  a 
  good 
  chance 
  of 
  ex- 
  

   emption 
  from 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   doubts 
  adhering 
  to 
  single 
  excessive 
  cases. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  curious 
  to 
  note 
  here 
  what 
  Louis 
  de 
  Vil- 
  

   morin 
  taught 
  concerning 
  this 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  

   1850. 
  I 
  quote 
  his 
  own 
  words: 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  that 
  in 
  experiments 
  on 
  heredity 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  individualize 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible. 
  

   So 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  saving 
  and 
  sow- 
  

   ing 
  separately 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  every 
  individual 
  

   beet, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  found 
  that 
  among 
  the 
  

   chosen 
  parent-plants 
  some 
  had 
  an 
  offspring 
  

   with 
  a 
  better 
  average 
  yield 
  than 
  others. 
  At 
  the 
  

   end 
  I 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  consider 
  this 
  character 
  only, 
  

   as 
  a 
  standard 
  for 
  amelioration.' 
  

  

  The 
  words 
  are 
  clear 
  and 
  their 
  author 
  is 
  the 
  

   originator 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  method 
  of 
  plant-breed- 
  

   ing 
  selection. 
  Yet 
  the 
  principle 
  has 
  been 
  aban- 
  

   doned, 
  and 
  nearly 
  forgotten 
  under 
  the 
  impres- 
  

   sion 
  that 
  polarization 
  alone 
  was 
  the 
  supreme 
  

   guide 
  to 
  be 
  relied 
  upon. 
  However, 
  if 
  I 
  under- 
  

   stand 
  the 
  signs 
  rightly, 
  the 
  time 
  is 
  soon 
  coming 
  

   when 
  Vilmorin's 
  experience 
  will 
  become 
  once 
  

   more 
  the 
  foundation 
  for 
  progress 
  in 
  breeding. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  theoretical 
  and 
  historical 
  as- 
  

   pects 
  of 
  the 
  problem, 
  we 
  will 
  now 
  recall 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   perimental 
  evidence, 
  given 
  in 
  a 
  former 
  lecture, 
  

   dealing 
  with 
  the 
  inheritance 
  of 
  monstrosi- 
  

   ties. 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  mon- 
  

  

  