PLANT BREEDING 641 



mutation will yield unexampled results in certain species that are 

 " in the mutable state." 



Limitations and disadvantages of the plant breeder. It is not 

 all clear sailing for the plant breeder. He has no less than six 

 distinct limitations which he must recognize in advance : 



1. His varieties are subject to the effects of soil and climate 

 in a way quite unknown to the animal breeder. His operations 

 are, therefore, in a large measure local rather than general in 

 their results. 



2. The rapid rate of reproduction necessitates wholesale 

 destruction, with the almost certain loss of "good things." 



3. It is impossible to prevent accidental crossing of many 

 varieties by insects and by the wind. 



4. It is difficult to keep accurate records. 



5. The product is cheap and it can be readily and rapidly 

 reproduced by every novice the moment it is on the market. 

 This necessitates that the breeder shall operate as a seedsman 

 in order to secure financial returns for his labors, or else that 

 he shall sell his production to those who are seedsmen. 



6. The extravagant claims often . made for new varieties 

 possessing little or no merit tend to destroy confidence in new 

 creations. This attitude on the part of a portion of the trade 

 leads the public to discount heavily even the moderate state- 

 ments of reputable seedsmen, reducing by a considerable per- 

 centage the profits of the business. 



Two of these natural limitations, the limitations of the soil 

 and the difficulty of keeping accurate records, call for special 

 attention. 



SECTION II SOIL AND CULTURE CONDITIONS 



The breeder is all but powerless to alter climate conditions, 

 but the fertility of the land is absolutely under his control. 

 Should the soil for breeding operations be rich or poor ? at, 

 below, or above the average of that upon which the crop is 

 likely to be grown ? 



The argument is often advanced that if breeding operations 

 be carried on upon land below the average of fertility, then the 



