294 



The Journal of Heredity 



that they have been studied, for some 

 time, but ])rincipally after the simplest 

 pedigree method and by selection in 

 mass. With these, all the Swedish crops 

 will have become the object of improve- 

 ment at our institute. 



As I have already remarked, the 

 intensive studies which our new method 

 necessitated led to a division of labor in 

 such a way that each specialist received 

 a limited field for which he was resi)on- 

 sible. Thus I took char<;;e of oats and 

 wheat in 1890, and in 1(S99 turned them 

 over to Dr. H. Xilsson-Ehle. P. Bolin had 

 barley from 1892 to 1896, when he was 

 re]jlaced by Dr. H. Tedin, who since 

 1892 has also had charge of the Legum- 

 inosae. J. Wallden was in sole charge of 

 r\^e from 1901 to 1904 when he divided 

 it with E. Ljung, who since 1908 has 

 been in entire control of it. Dr. 

 Lundberg has worked with the potatoes 

 since 1905; forage plants were taken by 

 me in 1904, but turned over in 1907, 

 with clover, to Dr. H. Witte. Root 

 crops have been handled since 1907 by 

 I. Karlsson. Mr. Wallden has directed 

 the work of controls and germination 

 since 1892. 



It is evident that the final results 

 have no ]jractical value except in the 

 same conditions under which the ex- 

 periments were made, and that a change 

 of climate and soil might entirely 

 change their value. In a country like 

 Sweden, which extends over thirteen 

 and two-thirds degrees of latitude, that 

 is to say, over a distance from north to 

 south as great as that from our south 

 coast to Rome, it is absolutely necessary 

 to make numerous tests in different parts 

 of the country. As soon as we had pro- 

 duced at our institute, situated in 

 southern Sweden, a large number of 

 varieties which we thought suited to 

 the central ]mri of the country, we began 

 to arrange numerous local trials each 

 year. Soon we had to form special 

 branches, in order to make serious and 

 ]jroijerly-directcd tests. We have now 

 two branches, one since 1894 in central 

 Sweden, near Upsal, and the other near 

 the arctic circle at Luleii, which was 

 organized ]mrticularly for the study of 

 forage plants. Our plans contemplate 



the creation of other branches in the 

 most important agricultural provinces. 



NEW VARIETIES OBTAINED. 



As I have already ])ointed out, the 

 Swedish agriculturists, in founding their 

 breeding station at Svalof, intended 

 I)rincii)ally to obtain new varieties 

 suited to their country. In passing 

 judgment on the work of the institute, 

 it is therefore necessary to limit one's 

 self to a consideration of the varieties 

 put in the trade, and their success. 



First, it can be said that our varieties 

 have become established throughovit the 

 country to a surjjrising extent. In the 

 princij^al agricultural districts, and for 

 certain cereals, they have almost en- 

 tirely supplanted the old varieties, as 

 well as those later introduced from 

 abroad. The only explanation of this 

 is that the institute and its specialists 

 have alwa\'S kept in the closest touch 

 with the farmers, who are, in fact, in a 

 majority on the directorate. Thus the 

 real needs of the fanners were known, 

 and the attempt to suj^ph' them has 

 always been the guiding princi]jle of 

 the work. It has been our jjrinciple 

 and practice to introduce into the trade 

 as few varieties as possible, letting 

 nothing go out that was not al)solutely 

 superior. However, the wide range of 

 climatic, cultural and industrial con- 

 ditions has made it necessary for us to 

 furnish a grou]3 of \-aricties of each 

 cereal, rather than a single superlative 

 one. I can best make this clear by 

 surveying the varieties of Svalof origin 

 which are now actually in the trade; 

 but it must be remembered that some 

 sorts ])laccd on sale, although meeting 

 with ])ublic favor, have been withdrawn 

 when it was ])ossil)lc' to replace them 

 with a variety of the same lyi)e but 

 better quality. 



TWO SERIES OF WHEAT. 



Tliere are two series of fall wheal, one 

 for the southern jjrovinces, where the 

 climate is favorable and we have bent 

 our energies to producing varieties with 

 large yield {drcuLuiicr, Extra Square- 

 head II, and 5(j/), and the other for the 

 more rigorous climate of the central 

 provinces, where cold-resistance was the 



