NOMENCLATURE. 31 



variety testing, better stocks are secured. The earliest efforts at 

 breeding any species are often experimental as to the methods to 

 follow, and a mediocre foundation stock will serve at least to practice 

 upon, so that when the better varieties have been found the work 

 may ])e undertaken in a thorough-going manner. There are many 

 matters of detail to learn, and the most practical way to nuister these 

 details is to begin the actual work at first on a more modest scale than 

 is advised for the general work later on. As the work progresses the 

 testing of introduced and standard varieties and the results obtained 

 from new kinds — if full records are kept throughout — will show from 

 which foundation stocks it is the best to try to make new strains or 

 varieties. It occasionally happens in the experience of the observing 

 breeder that some chance form will be found which is so much neai-er 

 the ideal for which he has been systematically seeking that he should 

 use it for his foundation stock, discarding all or most of the products 

 of his former labors. It often pays to seek long and far for these un- 

 usual forms and individuals among the plants of a wild or native 

 species that, the best available foundation stock may be secured. 



NAMES AND NUMBERING OF VARIETIES. 



The nomenclature of varieties of cultivated })lants presents many 

 vexing problems. Seedsmen are prone to multiply names b}" creating 

 synonyms for new or even old standard sorts, that they ma}^ have 

 what at least appear to be new varieties for their customers. On the 

 other hand, the class name too often adheres to the selected stocks in 

 cases where improvement in yield or other quality has been produced, 

 but no visible botanical change has been made; and the new strain, 

 having no special distinguishing mark, is classed with, and probably 

 wrongl}- condemned with, the parent variety. And in mau}^ cases in 

 wind-poUenized species, such as corn, a once distinct variety is changed 

 by admixture with other varieties, and what is known by a certain 

 variety name in one locality is soon quite different in value or in 

 appearance from what is known in another locality by the same name 

 and which had, in part, the same origin. 



Vai-iety testing, an essential part of the experiment station work, 

 is an invaluable adjunct to the seed and nursery business, and is 

 advantageous on the farm and in the orchard and gaiden. It is 

 necessary to test varieties that we may know which pioduce best, and 

 also that we may be able wisely to select foundation stocks for the 

 work of making better varieties l)y breeding. Unless the figures or 

 general statement of results regarding the test applies to a definite 

 vai-iety oi- stock of seeds it is valueless, or even may be misleading 

 and harmful. Th<^ pi-inciple of cooperative testing of varieties l)y 

 ex[)eriment stations is pi'oi)erly growing with i-apidity, since experi- 

 ment stations whicli are <Miuipi)ed for this woi-k can not only do much 

 of it better than growers, but they can greatly save in the aggregate 



