THE HUMAN PLANT 359 



opinions as to the desirability of restricting the 

 fecundity of the unfit, however wide the diversity 

 of opinion as to the way in which this may be 

 practically accomplished. 



The Aeistocratic Ameeican Race 



Lest we seem to take a pessimistic view of thQ 

 situation, however, let me hasten to point out that 

 the average human plant in most communities of 

 America to-day is somewhat comparable to the 

 average plants in the most highly developed col- 

 onies of our experiment farms. 



The reader will recall the somewhat detailed 

 accounts that have been given of the cherry colo- 

 nies comprising 400 aristocratic families, and of 

 the various colonies of plums and quinces and 

 chestnuts and lilies and gladioli and watsonias 

 and countless others that are similarly made up 

 of individuals exclusively of good breeding and 

 of desirable qualities. 



Now, whoever will properly gauge the condi- 

 tion of the human garden of to-day, here in 

 America, must realize that in general the races of 

 human beings that make up the population are 

 of correspondingly aristocratic lineage. 



Here, of course, we do not use the word "aris- 

 tocratic" in the conventional sense. We are re- 

 ferring to the qualities that make a good and 



