54 LUTHER BURBANK 



that was regarded by some of the bidders as the 

 very best one of the entire herd. 



A man who bid unsuccessfully again and again 

 may thus, in some cases, finally have his choice 

 precisely as if he had made the highest bid at 

 the outset. 



The obvious explanation both of the method 

 and of its somewhat anomalous results is found 

 in the fact that individuals differ in their judg- 

 ment as to what constitute the superior qualities 

 of an animal. Each bidder has noted an animal 

 that particularly appeals to him, and each is 

 backing his own judgment in making selection. 

 The result is a process of elimination that may 

 or may not select from the herd the best ani- 

 mals at the very outset. 



"But what have animals and their selection to 

 do with the development of new varieties of 

 plants?" you ask. 



Nothing direct and obvious, to be sure. But 

 it has often occurred to me that the process of 

 selection at the Iowa auctions is closely compa- 

 rable to that which is employed by the plant ex- 

 perimenter in the course of his everyday work. 

 In lieu of a herd of cattle, he deals with a group 

 of seedlings. But his task is precisely like* that 

 of the auction bidder in that he must select from 

 among hundreds of plants of the same*kind, and 



