WHEAT. 121 



of seed comes from the fact that he buys from some 

 one who has taken more pains in growing and select- 

 ing his seed. 



With wheat very little selection is practiced beyond 

 occasionally grading the wheat and sowing the larger 

 grains. While doubtless this is beneficial it is not 

 the logical method. A large kernel may come froin a 

 head with a very few kernels, while a small kernel 

 may come from a head with many kernels and much 

 more weight of grain. The latter would be likely to 

 produce much more wheat than the former. The 

 logical method would be to use for seed the offspring 

 of that seed which produced the largest progeny of 

 best quality. If a plant produces five heads, each 

 containing thirty to forty berries, and another pro- 

 duces but one head containing but twenty berries, the 

 seed of the former will probably be more productive 

 than the latter. The well known law that like pro- 

 duces like is true with plants as well as animals. 

 Whether the law is equally available for purposes of 

 improvement is not probably fully settled, but it is 

 much more available than is usually recognized. 



