FIXING GOOD TRAITS 



desired to secure seedlings of varying qualities in 

 the interests of experimentation, or in the attempt 

 to develop still other varieties. 



One might plant a thousand acres with seeds 

 of the Baldwin apple, without perhaps producing 

 a single plant that would precisely duplicate the 

 qualities of the fruit from which the seeds were 

 taken. And the same thing is true in greater or 

 less measure of the majority not merely of orchard 

 fruits but of cultivated plants in general. 



The notable exceptions are annual plants that 

 are habitually grown from seed, such as melons 

 and peas in the garden, and the great tribe of 

 cereals represented by wheat, oats, rye, and barley. 

 The reason why all of these breed true from seed 

 is that they are necessarily propagated in this way 

 alone, and it has been essential that fixed races 

 should be developed. 



Mankind depends largely upon the cereals for 

 food, and his existence would be altogether pre- 

 carious could he not have reasonable assurance 

 that when he sows grain of a certain quality, he 

 will secure a crop of grain of similar quality. 



The fixity of character of the cereals and 

 various other plants, including peas, and beans, 

 is enhanced and assured by the fact that the 

 flowers of these plants are habitually self- 

 fertilized. If you examine a head of wheat at 



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