176 Breeding Plants and Animals. 



these as units into nicely correlated forms with large 

 economic or artistic value. 



It is not strange that Nature creates very many 

 mediocre and undesirable form's for each superior one 

 which springs from her complicated laboratory. To 

 rise above the level, the individual or the interfertiliz- 

 ing group, which we call species, breed or variety, must 

 be fortunate enough to have in its make-up in a perma- 

 nently stable equilibrium a large number of dominant 

 characteristics, each of which is exceptional in strength- 

 ening the desired general unit in its artistic or economic 

 value. Possibly the law of chance operates. We get 

 a Messenger with his combination of strong parts pro- 

 iected with high efficiency into his progeny only once 

 out of thousands of times. It is not strange that the 

 use of large numbers is a first necessity in forcing the 

 improvement of a variety or breed or for securing the 

 best out of a complex and for the most part unstable 

 mass of a new hybrid. The stubborn fact that there is 

 only one individual of special breeding power out of 

 many thousands is of such paramount significance that 

 we can well afford to encourage theoretical philosophiz- 

 ing, a priori reasoning or drawing of conclusions from 

 too few data. Edison has been greatly assisted in his 

 practical experiments by his theoretical studies. The 

 deeper philosophies of mathematics are constantly add- 

 ing new possibilities to engineering. 



These illustrations are given to show in part that 

 the theory of breeding should receive more scientific 

 stady. Practical men should encourage investigation 

 along these general lines. Our ideas are dim and our 

 halting language inadequate to deal with breeding. 

 Breeding does not all consist in one man securing a few 

 phenomenal animals, with which he wins prizes and 

 which yield him a snug fortune. Some of our most 

 practical and most successful breeders may be narrow 

 in relation to the general subject. It is unfortunate 

 that so little thought is put into these theoretical ques- 



