64 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



. ican people, and humanity in general, than steam or electricity has ever 

 produced. We are only beginning to understand the vast possibilities 

 of plant breeding. We are only dampening our feet in the great sea of 

 knowledge. We know very little about it, and what we do know places 

 us in somewhat the same position as were the mariners who sailed with 

 Columbus, who, when they returned to Spain, knew that they had struck 

 land ; but that was about all they knew ; they knew nothing of the con- 

 tinent discovered. And the plant breeders of America have struck land. 

 We know we can do something, and something useful, but where it is 

 going to lead to, we don't know. It is unknown as yet. I want to say 

 to the American farmer that there is no question that they should get 

 closer to than plant breeding. They should learn all they can about the 

 principles of plant breeding, especially the breeding of cereals. And 

 to the farmers of the Mississippi Valley, I will say that nothing stands 

 them in hand so much as to get close to corn breeding. I heard it said 

 here this morning that corn was the backbone of your finances ; it fur- 

 nishes 50 per cent of your annual income. By acquainting yourself with 

 corn breeding, you make it possible to increase that income. 



When I speak of corn breeding, I do not refer to novel or odd 

 developments of certain characteristics of the corn plant. Corn breeding 

 with us means, as an ultimate result, utility. Utility resolves itself at 

 once into the great question of yield. Corn is not sold over the dry 

 goods counter — it does not have to be pretty ; it does not have to ap- 

 peal to the esthetic taste. We want quantity and quality. The breeder 

 must take this into consideration first ; 90 per cent of his selection de- 

 pends upon yield. I say 90 per cent ; that is simply approximate. But 

 yield must be his greatest aim. Of course, he must note the position of 

 the ear on the stalk, the standing ability of the corn plant and a few 

 other points, but yield is the great question. 



There are two influences in all nature — two principles, life prin- 

 ciples. One is the external life principle ; that is, the environments 

 surrounding a certain individual from infancy to maturity, from the em- 

 bryo to maturity. The other principle is the inherent life principle. 

 The corn grozver should deal exclusively with the external life prin- 

 ciple. He should leave the inherent life principle to the corn breeder. 

 We cannot all be corn breeders. It would not be profitable for us all 

 to be corn breeders, but we can all have a knowledge of it, and this 

 knowledge will help each and every farmer in America in selecting his 

 seed. But the corn breeder should deal only with the inherent life 

 principle — by that I mean the influences exerted by the past generations 

 on the next progeny or rather the coming generation. The first step of 



