CHAPTER VI 

 PLANT-BREEDING 



34. Definition. By " plant-breeding " is meant the im- 

 provement of our old plants and the securing of new ones. 

 Great advances have been made recently in our knowledge 

 in reference to plant-breeding. These advances have largely 

 been due to the fact that scientific men have been experiment- 

 ing with plants to discover what are called the laws of hered- 

 ity, and how new kinds of plants are produced. All this 

 work of scientific plant-breeders has suggested to practical 

 plant-breeders how their methods may be improved. Since 

 a better and a more abundant food supply depends upon the 

 progress of plant-breeding, it is evident that it is a subject 

 of the greatest importance. 



35. Seed firms. The work of practical plant-breeding is 

 done chiefly by establishments that have made it a specialty, 

 and that provide improved races of plants and new plants 

 for the use of those who cultivate them. For example, the 

 farmer seldom works at plant-breeding, but secures his 

 seed from " seed firms " that are equipped to do the more 

 careful work that plant-breeding requires. 



36. Department of Agriculture. In addition to the work 

 of the seed firms, the United States government, through 

 its Department of Agriculture, does a vast amount of work 

 in both scientific and practical plant-breeding, the results 

 of which are for the benefit of all those who wish to cultivate 

 plants. This Department also publishes a great many 

 bulletins dealing with all kinds of operations connected with 

 the cultivation of all kinds of plants, and these bulletins may 

 usually be obtained for the asking. It would be a wise thing 



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