204 LUTHER BURBANK 



direction, to lay foundations far beneath the 

 earth's surface. 



This matter of the very doubtful result of the 

 first stages of a hybridizing experiment should 

 be emphasized, because otherwise the amateur is 

 pretty sure to become discouraged at the outset 

 and to proceed no further. 



Many an experimenter has given up a quest 

 because when the two varieties of plants were 

 crossed the offspring seemed inferior as to the 

 desired quality to either of the parents. But the 

 experienced plant breeder knows that this is very 

 often to be expected and that he should not be in 

 the least discouraged by this result. It is gener- 

 ally necessary to go on to the next generation be- 

 fore we can hope to discover the real possibilities 

 of the experiment. 



The simple fact is that, where varieties or 

 species of plants that differ marKeffly as to cer- 

 tain qualities are combined, the offspring very 

 frequently seem to present what has been spoken 

 of as a mosaic of characters rather than a 

 blending. It may and very commonly does 

 manifest, as regards any given quality, the influ- 

 ence of one parent seemingly to the exclusion 

 of the other. 



A familiar illustration of the same rule may 

 be observed when a person having black eyes 



