62 



THE PLANT WORLD 



is added to its label, and this becomes its individual name for 

 the rest of the season. Its label may then appear "06230 

 ( I ) " and its peculiarity is described in the note-book on p. 

 230 under the caption (i). Whenever thereafter a note is 

 made concerning this individual it is referred to as ( i ) in 

 the note-book. When a second aberrant individual is noted 

 its label becomes "06230 (2) " and so on. These parentheti- 

 cal numbers are always copied onto the seed-bag when the 

 seed is collected, but are displaced by the regular pedigree- 

 numbers when arrangements are made for the use of particu- 

 lar individuals in the continuation of the cultures. 



As only a small proportion of the individuals of one 

 season's pedigrees can be used for their continuation in the 

 next season, it will be seen that the notes on these elected 

 specimens will be scattered among notes on others which it is 

 decided to follow no farther. It is a matter of great con- 

 venience therefore to bring together all of the entries regard- 

 ing any individual to.be used as the parent of a new culture 

 and put them into shape for the most ready reference. This 

 I do in the form of a card catalog, using the ordinary library 

 card of good heavy grade. As this is the most accessible 

 reference to the characteristics and history of each unit in the 

 direct line of the pedigree, the cards must be substantial 

 enough to withstand continuous use. At the top of the card 

 appears the double pedigree-number exactly like that at the 

 top of the page in the note-book, together with its equivalent 

 parenthetical designation, thus permanently recording the 

 equivalence between the new number and the one by which 

 this individual was known in the note-book, e. g. 

 "06230.16 (i)". In the upper right hand corner of the 

 card is the characteristic of the year, (07 in this case) indicat- 

 ing that the offspring of this plant will bear the label 0716. 

 This is necessary because in some cultures two or more 

 generations may be raised in one year, or a pedigree may be 

 omitted for one or more years and then resumed. On the 

 next line appears the name of the species. Below this is given 



