Correlation and Application of Statistics to Problems of Heredity 131 



As an example of many others of the suggested experiments, take the first, viz. that of plants 

 in windy & in still localities. Suppose (1) there was a difference in the seedlings from them, then 

 the advocates of non-inheritance of acquired faculties would protest against its applicability 

 saying that there had been selection, the lofty plants & the wide spreading ones would have 

 been preferentially blown down and the weakly ones would have been killed by the rigour of 

 conditions, therefore there had been selection in favour of the small &, hardy. Now suppose 

 (2) that there was no difference, — then the same people would say " I told you so." The expt 

 would be for them a case of " heads you lose, tails I win." 



Next, to produce any notable effect the expt must, as agreed by all, be protracted for many 

 generations. 



Lastly, nature affords an abundance of excellent examples, far superior to artificial ones. 

 Thus take an (elevated) region swept with winds but with hollows in it which are sheltered 

 and all of which is forest clad. The trees in the sheltered hollows will have been from time 

 immemorial finer than those of the same kinds of the exposed places; collect the seeds and plant 

 them under like conditions elsewhere. 



During a (Swiss) tour a man might collect an abundance of such seeds of contrasted origin 

 of many species of trees. Even a morning's walk would afford more data than a century of 

 artificial experiment. 



So again the seeds of plants originally of English stock but reared for some generations in 

 various parts of the world might be collected and planted side by side. 

 [The last is Thiselton-Dyer's proposal.] 



The only certain employment in the plant department of your proposed farm is to make 

 experiments such as these, or rather to verify in a regular methodical way much that is known 

 already, including expts on the opposite side such as graft-hybridism. 



Dyer says that no experimental work is likely to succeed at such places as Kew in the 

 ordinary course of work, where careful oversight is required. The men have much other work 

 to do. It would require a man to be specially devoted to its oversight. 

 The animal experiments seem to be enormously costly. 



The case you mention of hybrids it sterility would require many hundreds of animals at the 

 lowest of the computations you give data for. Where the effects of disuse are concerned the 

 animals should be, as a rule, underfed as regards their appetites and only eat just enough to 

 keep them in health ; then as there is a deficiency of material for growth, economy of structure 

 would be effective. This would be very difficult to ensure. Some of the most interesting experi- 

 ments are those of the Brown-Sequard type, but these must be put out of court in the present 

 mood of the public & of the law. 



Is not the bird nesting experiment continually the unconscious subject of experiment in those 

 fowls who have been hatched from eggs in incubators 1 



Did you happen to see some remarks I made at Newcastle British Assoc/n, which are printed 

 in the last Journal but one 1 



I suggested expts on those creatures which are reared from eggs apart from parents. 

 Chickens in incubators, fish, & insects. The incubator industry is large in France & so is the 

 silk- worm. But the naturalists present seemed not inclined to dwell on those views*. 

 Could anything be made of the following : 



A farm for the verification of easy experiments, within easy reach of London. 

 Cordial relations between it and 



(1) The Zoo., the Horticult., Kew, & Royal Agricult. Society. 



(2) Private persons of various ranks who would agree to help in expts. 

 Library of reference on heredity got mostly by begging. 



Log-book of daily work preserved (1 in duplicate). 



Publication of results in some one of the existing Scientific periodicals. 



Superintendent (qualifications & Salary to be considered). 



All under a c/ttee (? of the Royal Society). 



In all this I am keeping the Kew Observatory in view as a somewhat analogous institution. 



But before, anything could be done, even before asking for its serious consideration, a few 

 carefully and/w% worked out proposals of experiment ought I think to be drawn up. I mean 

 just as much as would have been done if the proposer handed them in to the Gov/t Grant or 

 other committee, for a grant of money. Very sincerely yours, Fkancis Galton. 



* See our p. 57 above. 



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