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been best by having produced the best plants of the year 

 following), although these differences were unquestionably reduced 

 in amount. The fact of these differences being thus found in at 

 least some degree to be reducible by even such a short series of 

 experiments led me to expect that they might, as the result of a 

 much more extended series of recorded breeding, be practically 

 removed, and the whole brought up at least to the standard of 

 the then best. But extended trials showed that although still 

 further reduced in amount these differences would still exist. 

 The •'rains of a large ear produced large ears as was anticipated, 

 but o^'ne of its grains (now of known Uneage) would still produce 

 larger ears than would any of the other grains of the ear. 



The question then presented itself, was this some law of 

 nature 1 I took the best plant of the year, picked out the grains 

 from each of its ears, and planted the grains of each ear in a se- 

 parate row, but still always with a like result. A new fact now 

 presented itself to my notice, viz. : that the ears of any plant were 

 invariably unequal. Throughout continued observations and ex- 

 periments extending over more than twenty years, I have found 

 only three instances recorded in which there were two ears on a 

 plant containing an equal number of grains, and one of these related 

 to the Belle Vue Talavera wheat, which must be considered quite 

 exceptional as to variation. In both the other instances there 

 was only a low stage of development, the equally finest two ears 

 of each plant containing but 59 grains and 49 grains respectively. 

 In every case where the plant presented an ear containing 60 grains 

 and upwards, the next best ear was of less contents than the finest 

 one. In 20 such instances taken consecutively and without 

 omission from my journal, and referring to seven varieties of wheat, 

 the average difference between the contents of the first and second 

 ears was seven and a half grains. The difference in four of these 

 instances was only one grain, but in other four it amounted to 

 from 17 to 19 grams. Thus there is on every plant a best ear, 

 just as there is in every ear a best grain. Are, then, the best 

 grains of each ear of the same plant equal ? Actual trials showed 



