148 TWENTY-FIRST REPORT. 



that the Worthy vai-iety of oats was especially adapted to rich, heavy soil, 

 and now this is probably the most extensively grown single variety in the state 

 today. On the other hand, farmers reported that Alexander, a variety dis- 

 tributed at the same time as Worthy, and which gave practically the same 

 results on the station plats, seemed to be especially adapted to the sandy loam 

 types of soil, yielding lietter than most other varieties under these conditions. 



In 1912 Plant Breeder F. A. Spragg released for distribution among the 

 members of the association six pecks of Rosen rye. This variety instantly 

 gave such remarkable results that for the next four years nearly all of the 

 pedigreed grain produced from this variety was used for seed. 



Until the fall of 1918 the demand for seed exceeded the crop of pedigreed 

 grain produced during that season, and inasmuch as rye is a cross-fertilized 

 grain and was often sown by farmers beside their common rye for comparison, 

 we can readily see why much of the rye offered for sale as Rosen was not 

 very pure. 



Again it is universally acknowledged that heredity, while an important 

 factor, is not the only one that must be cared for in the development ajid 

 growth of all living things. Consequently we often find the best bred indi- 

 viduals in both the animal and plant kingdom failing to perform as illustriously 

 as their ancestors when subjected to bad environmental conditions. 



Under the conditions of supply and demand spoken above, which applies 

 also to some other varieties of grain developed at the Michigan Agricultural 

 College, we can readily conceive of the fact that some of this seed "fell on 

 stony ground," and on ground that did not contain the plant food necessary 

 to develop a crop of grain of good quality. While other seed was sown on 

 land that was badly infested with noxious weeds, so, while the majority of 

 farmers offered seed of good quality and condition for sale, some seed was 

 placed on the market imder the name of a pedigreed variety, which was of 

 poor quality, contained weeds ; was badly diseased, or in some other respect 

 was not fit seed to give a good impression to the purchaser either at the time 

 of purchase or at the following harvest. 



Furthermore, the extension service, as now carried on by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Agricultural College coop- 

 erating, was in its infancy when pedigreed varieties were first distributed. 

 Very few men were in the field explaining to the people the characteristics 

 they should look for in a given pedigreed variety. Until the distribution of 

 these pedigreed varieties was started, and even today, the average layman 

 has never looked on plants in relation to their value as ancestors of suc- 

 ceeding generations. 



The up-to-date farmer of today in his selection of the various kinds of 

 live stock, considers the value and the ad^^sabiltiy of the use of well-bred 

 individuals of a few distinct breeds, which we find in general use in this and 



