THE TOMATO 161 



ing to another. He is dealing always with com- 

 plex and intricate matters. Sometimes he has 

 studied them so well that he knows what to ex- 

 pect of them in certain combinations. In other 

 cases he is feeling his way, and has no very clear 

 notion of what to expect. 



It might be said that he is looking for sur- 

 prises rather than for anything definite; and in 

 that event he is pretty sure to find what he is 

 looking for. 



Such at least was my experience in the early 

 experiments with the tomato that led ultimately 

 to the production of the particular hybrid at the 

 moment under discussion. These experiments 

 had their origin at the very beginning of the 

 period of my investigations in the field of plant 

 development, a good while before I came to 

 California. 



But in those days, notwithstanding one or two 

 successes, I was only laying the foundation 

 for my future work — learning how to handle 

 the tools of my trade. So although there 

 may have been interesting discoveries within 

 reach, I did not always know how to grasp 

 them. 



I had not learned, for example, the all-impor- 

 tant lesson that the second generation hybrid, 

 rather than that of the first generation, is the one 



6— Vol. 5 Bur. 



