Genetics in Relation to Agriculture 



361 



quently proved to be uniform and close 

 to standard, its seed should be dis- 

 carded. 



The general amount of variability 

 might quickly be reduced if these meth- 

 ods were put into practice, and by re- 



peating the selection of a fev/ ideals 

 individuals for several seasons and 

 isolating them into separate plats or 

 rows, a variety or strain of great con- 

 stancy and perfection of type might 

 be obtained. 



Genetics in Relation to Agriculture' 



Babcock and Clausen's New Book Reviewed 



The object of the authors in prepar- 

 ing this book is well stated in the preface 

 as an attempt at "an adequate presen- 

 tation in a single text of the facts and 

 principles of genetics and their prac- 

 tical applications." The reader will 

 concede that in this attempt the au- 

 thors have been successful to a very 

 gratifying degree. They have done an 

 immense amount of work in bring- 

 ing together the results of investiga- 

 tions and have apparently omitted 

 nothing of importance. While the book 

 will be of transcendent value to the 

 undergraduate student of genetics in 

 that it will present to him the sub- 

 ject as a connected and logically ar- 

 ranged whole, the very complete man- 

 ner in which the important work that 

 has been done along this line is cov- 

 ered will make the work of preeminent 

 value to the investigator. 



The work of the authors is charac- 

 terized by great care in stating facts 

 and giving the opinions of others. It 

 is gratifying to find, however, that 

 they do not hesitate to^ state their own 

 opinions on points which are in dis- 

 pute. The fact that in doing this they 

 are also able to give what appears to 

 be an eminently fair statement of the 

 arguments on both sides is a matter 

 on which the authors deserve con- 

 gratulation. 



The authors of this book do not 

 make the mistake of assuming that the 

 science of genetics is the only phase 

 of knowledge required by the success- 

 ful breeder. They make clear to the 

 student that the work of the breeder 

 is an art which includes much more 

 than a knowledge of the principles of 

 genetics. 



Considering the volume of the text, 

 which (Covers more than 600 octavo 

 pages without the glossary, list of lit- 

 erature and index, the number of er- 

 rors in this first edition must be con- 

 sidered remarkably small. 



The book is divided into three parts, 

 the first of which deals with Funda- 

 mentals, the second with Plant Breed- 

 ing, and the third with Animal Breed- 

 ing. It must be conceded that this is the 

 most adequate presentation of the sub- 

 ject of genetics that has yet appeared. 

 Part III, on animal breeding, however, 

 is not so adequate as the two preceding 

 parts. While the scientific aspects of 

 animal breeding are well presented, the 

 text of this portion of the book is not 

 characterized by the intimate knowl- 

 edge of practical animal breeding 

 shown in Part II on plant breeding. 

 Nevertheless, it is a book which the 

 practical breeder of animals cannot af- 

 ford to be without. — W. J. Spillman. 



1 By E. B. Bahcock and R. E. Clausen. New York : McGraw-Hill Book Company. 

 1918. Pp. xx-675. 4 plates. 



