PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR. 



The author of these papers, which were published in 

 the Breeders' Gazette in 1902 and 1904, joins with the 

 proprietor of that paper, Mr. Alvin Sanders, in giving 

 to the Farm Students' Review the right to publish them 

 in book form. They were not written with any thought 

 of their republication. Some revision has been made 

 to make clearer the text and to better adapt it to new 

 conditions. The deferred plan of writing a contem- 

 plated text on "Breeding/' covering the laws of here- 

 dity in plants, lower animals and man, and the prac- 

 tice of breeding, on account of present lack of time 

 has caused a reluctant agreement to the publication 

 of these articles. No other apology is made for the 

 form of the articles than that they were written con- 

 current with publication for a periodical. Any profits 

 which may come from publishing this book is all to 

 accrue to the Farm Students' Review, the agricultural 

 college paper of Minnesota, the author and the first 

 publisher having relinquished all rights. It is hoped 

 that the readers of these notes may realize that the 

 purpose was to promote an interest and to arouse all 

 to begin larger efforts to improve plants and animals, 

 rather than to write a scientifically arranged text. And 

 it is hoped that the enterprising college paper which 

 has undertaken its republication may profit from its 

 sale. 



Sincerely, 



W. M. HAYS. 



