a. 

 HEREDITARY INFLUENCE IN BREEDING. 75 



vated of the Victoria regia, the grandest plant in both leaf and 

 blossom ever seen in the temperate zone. In this imposing 

 presence the resolution was formed to create, if possible, a 

 botanic garden in the United States, and reproduce there this 

 superb water-lily. The consequence was that my plan of ope- 

 rations were changed, so that instead of seeking my fortune in 

 4he mining regions of the far West, I became in due time a 

 teacher at Amherst. My connection with the Agricultural 

 College resulted directly from the opportunity there offered 

 to begin the accomplishment of my botanical purposes ; and 

 already my heart's desire to look upon the flowers of the 

 Victoria unfolding their beauty and exhaling their fragrance 

 in my own country has been repeatedly gratified in the Dur- 

 fee plant-house. Whatever has been or may be achieved at 

 the College through my instrumentality, must therefore be 

 credited to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. 



SECOND DAY. 



Wednesday, December 4. 



The Board met at half-past 9 o'clock. Col. Eliphalet 

 Stone, of Dedham, in the chair. 



The first subject on the programme was a lecture on 



HEREDITARY INFLUENCE IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF STOCK. 



BY DR. NATHAN ALLEN, OF LOWELL. 



It is but little more than one hundred years since the first 

 systematic attempts were made to improve the stock of 

 domestic animals. It is true, prior to that period, much 

 interest in various localities had been expressed upon the sub- 

 ject, and many experiments had been tried by different indi- 

 viduals which, in the case of the horse, had, resulted in more 

 or less improvement. But it was reserved for one Robert 

 Bakewell, living at Dishley, in the central part of England, to 

 adopt and carry out, upon a somewhat extensive scale, a plan 

 of improvement founded on certain fixed principles. The 

 experiment was made at first more particularly upon sheep, 

 which had in view, not only the perfection of the animal struct- 

 ure, but also improvement in the quality and quantity of 

 wool. Bakewell is described as a man of remarkable origi- 



