332 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



from each other in a multitude of characters, some continuous, others 

 discontinuous, some capable of blending with their contraries, while 

 others are not." 



"That different species should follow different laws and that the 

 same law should not apply to all characters alike, is exactly what 

 we have a right to expect ; this principle is only explicity declared to 

 apply to discontinuous characters." 



"We are beginning to get new lights, of a most valuable kind, on 

 the nature of heredity and the laws which they obey. If an organism 

 producing germ cells of a given constitution, uniform in respect of 

 characters they bear, breeds with another organism bearing precisely 

 similar germ cells, the offspring resulting will, if the conditions are 

 identical, be uniform. In practice such a phenomenon is seen in pure 

 breeding." If we use W, representing Wealthy, pollen crossed on 

 M, Malinda, for the mother side, according to the law promulgated 

 by Galton, the inheritance will be blended, namely : the zygote (the 

 organism produced from fertilization) resulting from the union of 

 W with M will, on the average, be more like M than if W had been 

 united with W, and, conversely, a WM zygote will, on the aver- 

 age, be more like W than a MM zygote would be. 



As an example illustrating this point we will take the Perkins' 

 apple seedlings. Wealthy, Duchess, Perry Russet, &c., furnished the 

 pollen for fertilization, some in a greater amount than others, no 

 doubt, and Malinda was the mother side. As a result we have the 

 greatest number of seedlings producing fruit in exterior form large- 

 ly representing the father side of the cross ; only in a few instances 

 are there fruits representing the Malinda type in form but not in 

 color. The coloring in nearly every instance comes from the father 

 side. 



I looked upon the Perkins" experiment as being one of the most 

 valuable in the state of which we have any cognizance today, in that 

 he has a large number of trees from this one planting of seed, and I 

 hope we shall be able to discover at least one out of the many that 

 will prove of great value to the fruit industry of our state. 



We are beginning to see some reasons for the many unexplained 

 phenomena existing in the efforts that are being put forth to raise 

 seedling apples adapted to our soil, conditions and climatic changes ; 

 we find there is a valid reason for many of the changes and variations 

 presented when we undertake to breed a plant or an animal to some 

 particular type ; and all it requires is constant, persistent effort com- 

 bined with intelligence to bring forth the required results. If we 

 deal in a comprehensive manner with natural laws we shall, even- 

 tually, be able to bring into existence organisms adapted to the 

 various uses required. 



