IMPROVEMENT OF FIELD CROPS I5 



5,200,000 extra bushels of corn, 

 15,000,000 extra bushels of wheat, 

 20,000,000 extra bushels of oats, 



1,500,000 extra bushels of barley, 

 21,000,000 extra bushels of potatoes. 

 "But these vast possibilities are not alone tor one year, or for our ow-n time 01 

 race, but are beneficent legacies for every man, woman or child who shall ever 

 inhabit the earth. And who can estimate the ele\'ating and refining influences and 

 moral value of flowers with all their graceful forms and bewitchmg shades and 

 combinations for color and exquisitely varied perfumes ? These silent influences 

 are unconsciously felt even by those who do not appreciate them consjiously, and 

 thus with better and still better fruits, nuts, grains and flowers will the earth be 

 transformed and man's thoughts turned from the base destructive forces into the 

 nobler productive ones, which vdW lift him to higher planes of action towards that 

 happy day when man shall offer his brother man not bullets and bayonets, but 

 richer grains, better fruits and fairer flowers. 



" Cultivation and care may help plants to do better work temporarily, but by 

 breeding, plants may be brought into existence which will do better work always, in 

 all places and for all time. Plants are to be produced which vnW perform their 

 appointed work better, quicker and with the utmost precision." l 



31. A Maize Breeding Farm. — A company in Illinois has a 

 tract of 27,000 acres upon which they propose, if possible, so to 

 breed the standard varieties of maize as to give the greatest feed- 

 ing value per acre. They propose to breed maize with var)ang 

 per cents of fat or protein as seems possible by the experiments 

 of the Illinois Station.^ If a company had proposed to breed 

 Holstein-Friesians whose milk should contain a high per cent of 

 butter fat it would not be considered remarkable, yet the definite 

 breeding of farm crops is so unusual as to create great interest 

 in this new enterprise. The fundamental principles in breeding 

 are the same whether applied to plants or animals. The study 

 of the principles of breeding especially as they apply to animals 

 is a recognized part of courses in agriculture. No attempt will 

 be made in this chapter to discuss these principles but merely 

 to point out some of the practical applications to plant breeding. 



32. Application of Principle Delayed in Plants. — A number 

 of circumstances have prevented the application of the prin- 



l Luther Burbank. 



8 In referring to the Agricultural Expenment Stations under government ana 

 state control the word " Station " only will be used for the purpose of brevity. 



