PATIEXCE REWARDED 285 



approaching the termination of its half century, 

 during which the development of improved 

 races of plants has been comprehensively carried 

 forward. 



In the successive chapters that have told of the 

 different lines of endeavor, plants were naturally 

 grouped according to their botanical relations 

 or their economic uses, with only incidental 

 reference to the date of the experiment 

 through which this or that particular variety 

 was developed. 



Perhaps, then, it will serve to coordinate the 

 work as a whole if we review in partial outline 

 the story of the endeavors of successive periods; 

 bearing in mind, of course, that many hundreds 

 of experiments were always being carried for- 

 ward simultaneously, and that many experiments 

 that achieved notable results at an early day, are 

 still being carried forward to obtain results even 

 more notable. 



Taking the widest and most general view, it 

 may be said that the chief lines of investigation 

 at the outset of the period when my energies 

 w^ere turned exclusively to experimental work, 

 instead of being hampered by ordinary nursery 

 duties, had to do ^ith the improvement of 

 orchard fruits on one hand and with certain 

 flowering plants on the other. From the outset. 



