314 



aud biennal do not represent tlie limit of possibilities in tliis geuus. Ac- 

 cording to Engler and Prautl the genus consists of eight species widely 

 distributed throughout temperate and subtropical regions. In the sub- 

 tropical is found the very promising form, Hyoscyamus mutieus L., yield- 

 ing over one per cent, of alkaloids, while the remainder are found in the 

 temperate regions. Of these, some have passed through periods of prom- 

 inence in different countries, as Hyoscyamus albus in France, the annual 

 forni in jiarts of Germany and the biennial form in England, all of which 

 suggest the possibilities within the entire genus. 



In this group of plants the necessity of systematic efforts leading to 

 the development of pure-bred strains of jiromising si)ecies, and to an in- 

 crease in the percentage of alkaloids is indicated by the above data. The 

 famous corn-breeding experiment at the Illinois State Experiment Station, 

 the records of wliich now cover thirteen generations, indicates what may 

 be done through selection. That the ('fforts to increase and decrease the 

 protein and oil have met with great response is shown by the fact thai 

 two strains of corn have lieen produced out of a singU' variety, one of 

 which contains more than half again as much protein as the other. The 

 effect upon the oil content is even more striking, since from this same 

 variety two other strains have been ]iroduce<l. one of wiiich contains prac- 

 tically three times as much oil as the other. The sugar beet industry of 

 tins and other countries is illustrative of the necessity of the intensive 

 breeding, essential to the production of high yielding iilants. The gain 

 of 22.2 per cent, in the total sugar beet output of Germany for 1010-11 

 with an increased acreage of only 3.0 per cent, was due to three factors, 

 one of which was the higher sugar content of the beets. Exr)eriments 

 have shown a variation of seven per cent, in sugar content in beets of the 

 same parentage grown in different localities, a fact which is suggestive 

 of the necessity of a careful choice of localities for drug plant investiga- 

 tion. The intro(Uiction of various species of Cinchona into India by the 

 British Govermnent over fifty years ago has long passed the experimental 

 stage, bTit the records of the difRculties overcome stand as convincing 

 evidence of what may be accomplished in the introduction and improve- 

 ment of arborescent forms. Many of these forms were long grown and 

 in'opagated under glass until individuals could be isolated which would 

 endure the new environment and be made to serve as starting iK)ints for 

 future generations. The work of the Department of Agriculture on capsi- 



