236 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



Ill the last two decades a few of the greater 

 or THE plant breeders merit special notice. While 



PRESENT 



DAy there are a number who have produced numerous 



varieties of merit, more especially in parts of 

 Europe, the men who have jiiven the subject pro 

 found attention are : Hugo DeYries, the great 

 Dutch breeder ; Mendel, the discoverer of Men- 

 del's law ; Luther Burbank, who has done more 

 than any other man in the improvement of 

 plants and the creation of entirely new things ; 

 Professor Xilson of Svalof, Sweden; \V. M. 

 Hays, who developed new improved varieties of 

 wheat in Minnesota; and L. II. Bailey of Cor- 

 nell, who has written much to popularize the 

 subject. Xumerous other men have done im- 

 portant work along this line, most of it being in- 

 cidental to other activities, or consisting of more 

 or less accidental discoveries. Among these 

 were Professor Blount, who developed new 

 wheats in Colorado ; Robert Gauss, wiio has been 

 working with dry land wheats at Denver; Pro- 

 fessor Hold en, who has improved corn in Iowa ; 

 Burpee of Philadelphia, who originated im- 

 proved beans and sweet peas ; Peter Henderson 

 of ^Xew York, in the same kind of floral work, 

 and others. 



WHAT PLANT The principles of breeding need not be 

 BREEDING is touched upon at this time. It is not compli- 

 cated to one who has given it much study; in 

 fact, Bailey states, in answering the question. 



