CONTENTS 



PAGE 



I. -INTRODUCTION 13 



Present position of the Swedish experts re principles of plant 



improvement (summary) 15 



II. THE SWEDISH SEED ASSOCIATION (General resume") 



Aim of the Association 15 



Circumstances leading up to its organization 15 



Early Swedish Agriculture , . 16 



Experiences of Schiibeler 16 



Membership 17 



Administration 17 



Branch Stations 18 



Funds. 18 



Experimental Grounds 18 



III. THE SYSTEM OF PLANT IMPROVEMENT AT SVALOF AND 

 ITS DEVELOPMENT. 



The method first employed 18 



Early laboratory studies '. 19 



Final valuation of sorts 21 



RESULTS FROM CONTINUOUS MASS-SELECTION 21 



Introduction of the Pedigree System of Selection at Svalof 25 



" Form separation " on the basis of correlations 27 



Classification of forms into groups 27 



System of numbering sorts 27 



Absence of hereditary variations in pedigree cultures 



Theory of unit characters 



Johannsen's pure line theory 28 



Early ideas of artificial hybridization 30 



Specialization of the work 31 



CORRELATION OR THE ASSOCIATION OF CHARACTERS 31 



Origin of Primus barley 36 



Dangers associated with mass-selection 39 



Stooling in grain vrs. yield and quality 39 



The system of exclusive 'form separation' abandoned 42 



