NILSSON'S DISCOVERY 67 



As an instance, I may cite the station for breeding cereals 

 and potatoes at Nassenheide near Stettin in Germany, 

 which is under the direction of Count Arnim Schlagenthin. 

 Akhough in the main it offers for sale the new races produced 

 at Svalof by the methods to be described in our next chapter, 

 it recommends the sale of the grains on the basis of the old 

 views of dependency on elite strains instead of simply laying 

 stress upon the purity of its products. 



Finally, a question is to be considered which has more of 

 scientific than of practical interest. Though the isolation of 

 individuals of exceptional excellence and the methodical 

 improvement of races are absolutely contrasting principles, 

 it is evident that they do not, in reahty, need to exclude one 

 another. Quite on the contrary, it might be conceded that 

 isolation is one process, but that the isolated types them- 

 selves can afterwards be improved by selection. This con- 

 ception would lessen the difference between the opposite 

 views and at the same time make them comply, at least 

 apparently, with the idea of an origin of species in nature 

 by means of slow and gradual changes. Theoretically, no 

 objection could be made to this proposition and it would only 

 remain to test its value by direct experiments. Practically, 

 however, the proposition would be a purely hypothetical one, 

 instead of being derived from the experience of the breeders, 

 and it is manifest that these would thereby as well lose 

 their significance as a support for Wallace's views on the 

 origin of wild species. 



C. THE SVALOF METHOD OF PRODUCING IMPROVED 



RACES. 



The criticism of the reliabihty of the German method of 

 race-ameUoration was part of the work during the first period 

 of the operation of the experiment station at Svalof. It had 

 not yet been conducted to a definite conclusion, when, in 



