314 



;i.ii(l Iiicniinl do ii<>t i-cprcsciit llic limit of possibilities in this genus. Ac- 

 cording to Eugler and Prantl the genus consists of eight species widely 

 distributed throughout temperate and subtropical regions. In the sub- 

 tr(ii»i<al is found the 'very promising form, Hyoscyamus muticus L., yield- 

 ing over one per cent, of alkaloids, while the remainder are found in the 

 temiierate regions. Of these, some have passed through periods of prom- 

 iuence in different countries, as Hyoscyamus albus in France, the annual 

 form in i)arts of (Jevmany and the biennial form in England, all of which 

 suggest the possibilities within the entire genus. 



In this group of plants tlie necessity of systematic efforts leading to 

 the development of pure-bred strains of promising species, and to an in- 

 crease in the percentage of alkaloids is indicated by tlie above data. The 

 famous corn-breeding experiment at the Illinois State Experiment Station, 

 the records of which now cover thirteen generations, indicates what may 

 be done through selection. That the efforts to increase and decrease the 

 protein and oil liave met with great response is shown by the fact thai 

 two strains of corn have been produced out of a single variety, one of 

 which contains more than half again as much protein as the other. The 

 effect upon the oil content is even more striking, since from this samo 

 variety two other strains have been produced, one of wliich contains prac- 

 tically three times as much oil as the other. The sugar beet industry of 

 this and other countries is illustrative of the necessity of tlie intensive 

 breeding, essential to the i)r(>(lnctiou of high yielding i)lants. The gain 

 of 22.2 per cent, in the total sugar beet output of Germany for 1910-11 

 witli an increased acreage of only 3.6 per cent, was due to three factors, 

 one of which was the higher sugar content of the beets. Experiments 

 have shown a variation of seven per cent, in sugar content in beets of the 

 same parentage grown in different localities, a fact which is suggestive 

 <ir the necessity of a ca refill choice of localities for drug plant investiga- 

 tion. The introduction of various species of Cinchona into India by the 

 I'ritish Government over fifty years ago has long i)assed the experimental 

 slage, but the records of the ditricuUies overcome stand as convincing 

 evidence of what may be accomi)Iished in the introduction and improve- 

 ment of arborescent forms. INIany of these forms were long grown and 

 propagated nuder glass until individuals coidd be isolated which would 

 endure the new environment and be made to serve as starting points for 

 future generations. The work of the Department of Agriculture on capsi- 



