FACTORS OF INCREASE 107 



the small seed for sowing seemed to him "un- 

 necessary waste of human subsistence." In 

 recent years the distinguished scientist, Hab- 

 erlandt, has given expression to essentially 

 the same opinion. He believes it is chiefly the 

 strain and the favorable conditions for growth 

 that influence the product, and not the weight 

 of the seed. He doubtless represents the opin- 

 ions of a large percentage of cultivators of the 

 present time, inclusive of many good thinkers. 

 Probably a fair statement of the general opin- 

 ion would be that if a strain is to be kept up to 

 its full vigor, or if improvement is desired, 

 careful selection of the largest seed is indis- 

 pensable, but that the difference between the 

 use of the large and small seed will not be no- 

 ticeable in the first year's crop. This view is 

 not, however, borne out by experiment, as 

 we will see. 



The amount and strength of the early 

 growth from the seed has been studied by 

 Marek, who experimented with beans and 

 peas. The seeds were laid between moist 

 blotting paper for seventeen days, and then Early growth 

 measurements were taken of the length and 

 diameter of the primary and lateral roots and 

 of the stem. The figures all stood higher for 

 the large seeds than for the small seeds, except 

 for the length of the pea stem. Similar ex- 

 periments were carried out by von Tautphous, 



