288 



The Journal of Heredity 



>^ 1-T' 



THREE TYPES OF TIMOTHY 



Under the old system of seed production, a eommercial variety containing all three of these sorts 

 of timotliy (Phleum pratense) wtjuld liavc been given to the fanner, in spite of the fact that 

 they differ so widely in habit and blooming time. Under the modern system, the commercial 

 material is sorted out (by actual planting tests) and each comi^onent part isolated, and made 

 to stand on its own merits. (Fig. 4.) 



or two cereals. Then, by profound 

 study of his own material, by rigorous 

 research and field trials, each one was 

 able to become an expert in his special 

 branch, training his eye to distinguish 

 first of all the dilTerent forms, and next 

 the relative value of existing characters. 

 Thus i)rei)arcd, we became able to 

 establish an exact systematic classi- 

 fication of the different species, the only 



means applicable to obtain a compre- 

 hensive survey necessary to the study 

 of i^olymorphous material. The first 

 comparison was between the groups 

 thus limited, and the second an exami- 

 nati(jn of the different sorts inside these 

 groups. 



The fact that we have tisually suc- 

 ceeded in making nattiral systems out 

 of these classifications, where char- 



