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- 



