J 82 Breeding Plants and Animals. 



nient and in breed and variety formation have given 

 important results; for example, the American trotting 

 horse, the Poland-China hog, the Burbank potato, the 

 Wealthy apple, Minnesota No. 169 wheat, cotton re- 

 sistant to root rot and flax resistant to flax wilt. In the 

 plant world varieties and species long successfully 

 grown are being hybridized and large numbers of 

 forms greatly varied in character are being formed 

 from which many useful varieties may be selected. 



The workers in the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, the State experiment stations, seed and 

 nursery firms and private breeders are all rapidly gam- 

 ing the experience, developing the methods and secur- 

 ing the necessary equipment with which to hybridize, 

 select and develop the new forms being made possible. 

 furthermore, broad plans for co-operation are being 

 projected and are slowly but surely coming into oper- 

 ation. Not only are successful methods of plant breed- 

 ing being put into operation, but the distribution of 

 varieties is the subject of investigation. The United 

 States Department of Agriculture and a group of State 

 experiment stations in the Middle Northwest in co- 

 operation have demonstrated those valuable new varie- 

 ties of wheat, oats, barley and corn originated by pub- 

 lic funds may be given the widest distribution, brought 

 into the most general use by selling them, and at com- 

 mercial seed prices. 



While the free distribution of seeds or even the 

 sale of pedigreed seeds and plants at low prices lessens 

 the business of commerical seed and plant grcwing, 

 and merchandising in seeds and nursery stocks, selling 

 highly bred seeds and plants by State experiment sta- 

 lions at rather high prices is an advantage to the com- 

 mercial seed and plant business. It places the new va- 

 rieties on a commercial basis. By bringing forward 

 new varieties it enlarges the basis of materials in which 

 the seed merchant and the nurseryman deal. By means 

 of long tests under statistical records the experiment 

 stations accredit to the farmers many superior new va- 



