INTERESTING FAILURES 165 



impossible for them to develop a thoroughly good 

 root system. Evidently many of the new plants 

 had inherited the rank-growing tops of the giant 

 tobacco and the smaller, less efficient roots of the 

 petunia. 



A visitor whose attention was called to this 

 peculiarity remarked facetiously that my petu- 

 nias had obviously been stunted in growth and 

 vitality through acquiring the tobacco habit, just 

 as boys are stunted when they make the same 

 mistake. It is only fair to recall, however, that 

 the petunias had no choice in the matter. Their 

 association with the tobacco had been thrust upon 

 them. 



Owing to the lack of vitality of the hybrids, 

 and the fact that they seemed unlikely to develop 

 additional characteristics of exceptional interest 

 or to produce seed the plants were not especially 

 sheltered, and they perished from freezing dur- 

 ing the ensuing winter. Thus the experiment of 

 hybridizing the petunia and the tobacco came to 

 an end; not, however, without illustrating one or 

 two suggestive points of plant breeding to which 

 further reference will be made in due course. 



SOME MONGREL POTATOES 



Inasmuch as my first experiments in plant 

 breeding had to do with the potato, it is not 



