78 Breeding Plants and Animals. 



on the problem of how can we greatly develop 

 America's system of breeding. The first ten articles, 

 published a year ago, dealt mainly with plant breeding, 

 in part because there more rapid developments are going 

 on than in the science and practice of animal breeding. 

 There was more room for development because until 

 recently plant breeding lagged behind animal breeding 

 in the genera 1 development. Plant breeders now, how- 

 ever, already have in some ways a deeper philosophy 

 than animal breeders, though until recently the animal 

 breeders were clearly in the lead. In plant breeding 

 it is practicable to deal with immense numbers, to carry 

 put cheaply theoretical experiments on heredity, and 

 in case of some species to develop better business prin- 

 ciples for practical breeding. No one who has familiar- 

 ized himself with the breeding of both plants and 

 animals doubts the application of most of thfe laws of 

 breeding alike to the plant and the animal kingdoms. 

 There is, in fact, more difference in the methods best 

 to use between breeding corn and breeding wheat, or 

 between breeding alfalfa and breeding plums than there 

 is in a general way between breeding plants and breed- 

 ing animals. Animal breeders need to have a medium 

 for the exchange of ideas with plant breeders, and 

 plant breeders need to keep in touch with the broad 

 philosophy of the animal breeders. Animal breeders 

 need to learn from the plant breeders the significance 

 of measuring the parent in terms of the average pro- 

 geny, centgener power or transmitting power ; and the 

 plant breeders need to keep in touch with the animal 

 breeders, that they may properly appreciate the indivi- 

 duality of each plant. 



And no doubt the recent awakening in, the study of 

 plant breeding will be followed by renewed activities 

 in the study of animal improvement by more systematic 

 methods. Scientific technique in the field, in the barn 

 and in the laboratory is no doubt to be rapidly developed 

 far beyond our present knowledge, and no doubt the 

 recent awakening in the study of plant breeding will be 



