GARTON AND BURBANK 25 



in the same proportions " = /? 2j)R R. The D's and R's 

 in future generations breed true indefinitely, as their gametes 

 possess only dominant or only recessive characters. 



Neither of the two men who possess by far the greatest 

 experience in plant breeding John Garton in England, and 

 Luther Burbank in the United States has any belief in 

 the application of Mendel's laws to their work. 



Garton says: "From observations, extending over 25 

 years, Mendel's laws have been generally disproved in Com- 

 posite crossing, while in Simple crossing they have only been 

 applicable when there has been extreme tendencies in the 

 progeny to revert to parental types. In practice, they have 

 proved to be of no advantage whatever for general application." 



William S. Harwood, in a second " Authoritative 

 Account of Luther Burbank's Unique Work in Creating New 

 Forms of Plant Life," in The Century Illustrated Monthly 

 Magazine ', April 1905, says : 



" Take merely for one illustration among the many which 

 might be brought forward, the results which have been 

 noticed in the breeding of the Walnut-tree. Here the laws of 

 Mendel were absolutely disproved at every point. The new 

 trees followed no known laws. ' Dominance ' and ' reces- 

 sion ' were absolutely inoperative factors." 



In the present state of our knowledge, Mendel's laws do not 

 appear to have any practical application to the stock-breeding 



industry. 



