108 Selection Does Not Lead to Origin of Species, 



to the degeneration resulting from the admixture of in- 

 ferior varieties (cf. pp. 96-98). Even if only for this rea- 

 son it ought never to be slackened. Then again it is 

 concerned with keeping the kinds which have been im- 

 proved by selection up to the mark; without it they 

 would steadily deteriorate and necessitate the purchase 

 of fresh seed too often. Lastly it adapts varieties to 

 local conditions of culture : no two localities are alike 

 with regard to soil, climate and manure. 



In certain districts (Probstei, Ostsee, Hanna and the 

 Tirol) empirical selection has been practised for more 

 than a century on a large scale by the majority of the 

 peasants engaged in growing cereals. As a result they 

 sell their whole crop as stock seed at a high price. But 

 in order to keep up the good reputation of their varie- 

 ties it is necessary that selection should continue with- 

 out ceasing. It is very difficult to tell whether this form 

 of selection leads to a further amelioration of these 

 races because real improvements undoubtedly are made 

 from time to time as the result of improved methods of 

 selection. But the essential fact is that no race which 

 is independent of selection has yet arisen in this way. 



Methodical selection is based on an entirely different 

 principle. It is carried on by a few men at the head of 

 their profession and its object is to put new and valuable 

 races on the market. Each such race consists of two 

 parts. First the pedigree or the so-called elite and sec- 

 ondly seed for the market and for the trade. 



The originator of a race of this kind keeps the pedi- 

 gree stock on his own property. This stock does not 

 amount to more than a few or at any rate to more than 

 a few hundred individuals in a year, and is the product 

 of the selected seeds of the previous generation. Of the 



