Breeders' and Growers' Association 109 



COOPERATIVE CROP IMPROVEMENT 



In recent years, a great deal has been said about the 

 improvement of farm crops by breeding and selection. 

 Those who have been working along these lines are a few 

 individual plant-breeders, the colleges, the experiment 

 stations, and the departments of agriculture. Their 

 object has been to establish the principles which govern 

 the improvement of crops and to develop seed of improved 

 varieties that will produce increased yields, or that are 

 superior in some other way to the varieties now commonly 

 grown. 



It is well understood by seed-growers that a variety 

 can be kept true only by the most rigid selection of seed 

 from plants that approach the ideal type. Varieties of 

 corn usually run out in seven or eight generations unless 

 the seed is selected with great care. On the other hand, 

 the yields of the standard varieties may be increased; 

 hardy, prolific, and disease-resistant types may be de- 

 veloped with local adaptations to soil and climate, and 

 other desirable characteristics may be perpetuated by 

 the use of selected seed from plants which are similar to 

 the type desired. 



Besides the study of the principles of plant improve- 

 ment, the public institutions have done much to increase 

 the value of the staple farm crops by the development 

 and wide distribution of seed of improved varieties. 

 Private individuals have also done a large amount of 

 this work, and associations have been organized for the 

 development of seed-breeding and for the improvement 

 of farm crops through the systematic use of seed of im- 



