HEREDITY. 123 



of twigs and branches, and the fruit small and unpal- 

 atable. 



The cotton plant, if well cultivated, will become 

 a tree and develop hundreds of bolls, yet left to itself, 

 to be choked with weeds, is an insignificant stalk with 

 only two pericarps. I can cite no vegetable cultivated 

 as a crop, which develops in such multiple ratios by 

 agricultural attention as does gossypium, or the com- 

 mon cotton plant. 



As the finest garden seeds are selected by the 

 farmer's wife for the next year's planting, so the stock 

 raiser chooses the finest specimens for reproduction 

 among kine, horses, sheep, and swine, while the prog- 

 eny of scrub stock goes to slaughter; yet, so strong 

 is the tendency to return to original or primitive 

 ugliness or worth lessness, that ever watchful care is 

 required to sustain an elevated status in farm pro- 

 ducts. Even with the exercise of eternal vigilance, a 

 lapse will now and then occur. Though winning 

 horses are the parents of winners, colts with pedigree 

 are often worthless. The best breeds having been 

 attained by intelligent selection through many gener- 

 ations, it is logically presumable that an average status 

 of the most valuable stock can be secured and repro- 

 duced over and over again. But the tendency to 

 degenerate is ever present and pressing. Stock breed- 

 ers are always in a speculative state of mind in regard 

 to what anticipated progeny may be worth. Perhaps 

 uncertainty adds to the mysterious interest, especially 

 in stock with a reputable pedigree. 



It is generally supposed that plants and animals 

 are at their best when they were first discovered, or 

 existed as primitive stock, but there is abundant proof 

 to show that improvement often takes place by fur- 



