38 THE SURVIVAL OB^ THE UKLIKE. [l. 



value as statistics, but simply for the purpose of graph- 

 ically expressing the fact that many more seeds are raised 

 by cultivators each average year than are ever grown 

 into plants, and that struggle for existence does not 

 necessarily cease when plants are taken under the care of 

 man. 



What, now, becomes of this enormous surplus of 

 seed? Let us take a rough survey of the entire seed 

 '.'rop of any year. In the first place, a certain percentage 

 of the seeds are laid aside by the seedsman as a surety 

 against failure in the year to come. Much of this old 

 stock never finds its way into the market, and is finally 

 discarded. We will estimate this element of waste as 20 

 per cent. Of the 80 per cent, which is actually sold, 

 perhaps another 10 per cent, is never planted, leaving 

 about 70 per cent, which finds its way into the ground. 

 These two items of loss are pure waste, and have no 

 effect upon the resulting crop. Now, of the seeds which 

 are planted, no more than 75 per cent, can be expected 

 to germinate. That is, there is certainly an average loss 

 of 25 per cent, in nearly all seeds — and much more in 

 some — due to inherent weakness, and 75 i)er cent, rep- 

 resents the survival in a conflict of strength. We have 

 now accounted for about half of the total seed product 

 of any year. The remaining half produces plants; but 

 here the most important part of the conflict begins. In 

 the crops mentioned above, much less than half of the 

 seeds which are grown ever appear in the form of a crop. 

 We must remember, moreover, that in making the esti- 

 mate of the number of acres which these seeds would 

 plant, I have used the usual estimates of the quantity of 

 seeds required to plant an acre. Now, these estimates 

 of seedsmen and planters are always very liberal. Every 



