FOOD FOR 1.IVE STOCK 31 



others, and that it will be quite possible to sepa- 

 rate these and thus produce a variety relatively 

 free from poison. 



Some similar experiments in improving peas, 

 beans, and other plants related to the clovers, 

 gave full assurance that I should be successful 

 in the present instance, merely by selective 

 breeding, in producing a plant with relatively 

 low brucine content, and the experiments even in 

 their initial stages justify this belief. 



Whether it may be necessary to resort to 

 hybridizing experiments in order to eliminate 

 the brucine altogether or to reduce it to a 

 negligible minimum, remains to be seen. 



These experiments were begun only in 1910. 



It should be explained that the hybridizing of 

 the plants of this group is relatively difficult, 

 because the flowers are incased in a closed re- 

 ceptacle, as with peas and beans, which belong 

 to the same family with the clovers. 



All of these so-called leguminous plants and 

 they are outnumbered only by the composite 

 flowers bear the stamens and pistils thus 

 guarded, and are normally self-fertilized. 



As already pointed out, this makes the experi- 

 ment of hand-pollenizing these plants a rather 

 tedious one. In the case of the clovers, the 

 flowers being very small, it becomes a somewhat 



