THE HUMAN PLANT 373 



When we read of the coming of as many as 

 a million or more aliens in a single year; and 

 when we are told that of those that come from 

 southeastern Europe more than 35 per cent are 

 of undeveloped or atavistic type — we cannot 

 escape a feeling of solicitude over the introduc- 

 tion of so high a percentage of blood of so doubt- 

 ful a character into the strains of our developed 

 colony of American races. 



It must be recalled that when the plant devel- 

 oper brings from Japan or from Europe or from 

 Asia a new race of plants to combine with his 

 native stock, he selects always the most desirable 

 individuals that are to be found. Very com- 

 monly he breeds the newcomers for successive 

 generations and makes repeated selections before 

 he finds an individual suitable for his hybridizing 

 experiment. 



He knows very well that if he were to choose 

 inferior members of any stock for his experi- 

 ments he would be working in the wrong direc- 

 tion, and could not hope to produce improved 

 races. 



But many of the immigrants that are flooding 

 in on us, cannot even by the most liberal inter- 

 pretation be said to represent the best strains 

 of the varied racial stocks from which they have 

 sprung. 



