112 Selection Does Not Lead to Origin of Species. 



constant. But of course it will not remain so, if it is 

 not subjected to continuous selection. 



RiMPAu's method is 

 quite different. He grew 

 his pedigree stock under 

 circumstances which re- 

 semble the normal condi- 

 tions of life in the fields 

 as closely as possible. The 

 plants were however grown 

 somewhat further apart 

 and were treated with 

 greater care. At the be- 

 ginning of the experiment 

 he plucked a hand full of 

 the best ears, sowed them 

 on a small plot set apart 

 for the purpose and picked 

 the best ears from this at 

 harvest time, for seed for 

 the next elite generation. 



RiMPAU and von Rum- 

 KER insist very strongly 

 that plants grown under 

 unusually favorable cir- 

 cumstances should not be 

 chosen for selection ; ears 

 found at the edges of fields 

 or on specially luxuriant 

 patches should most cer- 

 tainly not be used for this 

 purpose.-^ Their proper- 



^VoN RiJMKER, Gctrcidcziichtung, 1889, p. 58. 



Fig. 25. Schlanstedt Giant Rye, 

 bred by W. Rimpau. b. Grains 

 of this strain ; c. ordinary grains 

 of rye on the same scale of re- 

 duction. 



