FINAL SELECTION 



stalk. Seed from the same cob was planted in two 

 fields and grown always under closely similar 

 conditions. 



But in one field selection was made for 

 breeding purposes from stalks having the ears 

 higher from the ground than the average; and in 

 the other field from ears that were lower than the 

 average. At the end of five years the two fields 

 were so widely diversified that the average height 

 of the ear from the ground in one of them was 

 less than three feet (33.2 inches), whereas in the 

 other field the average height of the ears was fully 

 six feet (72.4 inches). 



One could not well ask a more striking 

 illustration than this of the possibility of devel- 

 oping new races, differing as to some conspicuous 

 character, by simple selection from a given stock. 



The case of my winter rhubarb, which came 

 to have a relatively gigantic stalk, will be recalled 

 as of similar import; although in that case the 

 experiment was complicated by having to bear 

 in mind various other qualities in addition to mere 

 size of stalk. My giant corn and the corn with 

 the rainbow-striped leaves are other examples. 

 SOME ALARMING FIGURES 



But, as repeatedly pointed out, the experiment 

 usually is complicated by the necessity for 

 considering more qualities than one whenever 



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