LUTHER BURBANK 



regarded by some of the bidders as the very best 

 one of the entire herd. 



A man who bid unsuccessfully again and again 

 may thus, in some cases, finally have his choice 

 precisely as if he had made the highest bid at the 

 outset. 



The obvious explanation both of the method 

 and of its somewhat anomalous results is found in 

 the fact that individuals differ in their judgment 

 as to what constitute the superior qualities of a 

 cow. Each bidder has noted an animal that 

 particularly appeals to him, and each is backing 

 his own judgment in making selection. The result 

 is a process of elimination that may or may not 

 select from the herd the best animals at the very 

 outset. 



"But what have cows and their selection to do 

 with the development of new varieties of plants?" 

 you ask. 



Nothing direct and obvious to be sure. But it 

 has often occurred to me that the process of selec- 

 tion at the Iowa auctions is closely comparable to 

 that which is employed by the plant experimenter 

 in the course of his every-day work. In lieu of a 

 herd of cattle, he deals with a group of seedlings. 

 But his task is precisely like that of the auction 

 bidder in that he must select from among scores 

 of plants of the same kind, and often of closely 



[276] 



