rtn LUTHER BITIB AN K 



many qualities of a couuneFcuu cut prune, 



the caie assumes new complMitiet. 



Hence it is thst my records tell of tests applied 

 to about half a million seediinffs of the dais>'; 

 seven and one^half million seedlings of various 

 plums, and the like. 



Hence also the constant neee sri t y of what my 

 neighbnnt speak of as ten-thoutand-dollar bon- 

 fires ii chard, when we bum seedlings that 

 have Wn iiuipected and found want' *!" > burn 

 65,000 hybrid blackberries in one pur, n> I once 

 did after saving perhaps half a dozen individual 

 plants for further testing, seems like willful ex- 

 travagance to the casual observer, but it is an 

 unavoidable incident in the search for perfect 

 fruits. 



Such prodigal use of materitd implies a large 

 measure of experience in the handling of seeds 

 and the growing of seedlint point of fact, 



it might be said that this is mc most important 

 part of a plant breeder's task, so far as the 

 practicalities of experiment are concerned. It 

 IS part and parcel of his daily routine. 



It is highly desirable, then, that the would-he 

 experimenter should gain a clear understanding 

 of the essentials of method of caring for seeds 

 and cultivating seedlings. So it is the purpose in 

 the succeeding pages of this chapter to give a 



