396 PLANT BREEDING 



tion, from which selections may be made and purified by 

 further inbreeding or self-pollination. 



4. The selection and propagation by asexual methods 

 of desirable branches which have arisen by vegetative 

 mutations or bud sports. 



The characters with which the plant breeder works are 

 mutations, and not mere modifications, or are recombina- 

 tions of mutant characters. They may be either old but 

 unnoticed characters or new ones produced by recent 

 mutations, since all heritable characters have originated 

 at some time by mutation. 



