106 Selection Does Not Lead to Origin of Species. 



of rain water. The various kinds of beet, in which selec- 

 tion has had different objects in view, can be recognized 

 by their foHage in the field. The form of the root is 

 very important ; it should be unbranched ; the more like 

 the roots are to one another the more easily can they be 

 dealt with. The dimensions of the stem, or the head 

 as it is called, and many other points have all to be con- 

 sidered and especially the size or the weight, of the 

 whole beet. 



Individual breeders pay attention to trivial charac- 

 ters as for example the red color in the seedling with 

 the object of facilitating the detection of impurities in 

 their strains in the field. 



It is absolutely essential to keep one's eye on all these 

 points in every generation. In the case of no single 

 character can selection be relaxed. Any disregard of 

 these rules on the part of the breeder would soon lead 

 to a degeneration of the whole race. 



*'Each race of plant possesses only a very small de- 

 gree of constancy." Herein lies the difference between 

 the improved race and the species. This already quoted 

 expression of Von Rumker^ sums up clearly and con- 

 cisely the whole significance of agricultural results in 

 their bearing; on Natural Selection. 



'fe 



§ 12. CEREALS. 



Next to the sugar beet the cereals have furnished the 

 most important material in connection with scientific and 

 practical experiments in selection, though in the latter 

 case the general conditions are much less simple. 



Modern efforts to improve the races had to start 



'Von RiJMKER, Der LandwirthschaftUche Mchrwerth, loc. cit 

 p. 136. 



