Selection of Elementary Species 109 



England by F. F. Hallett of Brighton in Sussex, 

 who at once called it '' pedigree-culture," and 

 produced his first new variety under the very 

 name of '' Pedigree-wheat." This principle, 

 which yields improved strains, that are not con- 

 stant but dependent on the continued and care- 

 ful choice of the best plants in each succeeding 

 generation, is now generally called '^ selec- 

 tion." But it should always be remembered 

 that according to the historic evolution of the 

 idea, the word has the double significance of the 

 distinction and isolation of constant races from 

 mixtures, and that of the choice of the best rep- 

 resentatives of a race during all the years of its 

 existence. Even sugar-beets, the oldest ^^ se- 

 lected ' ' agricultural plants are far from having 

 freed themselves from the necessity of contin- 

 uous improvement. Without this they would 

 not remain constant, but would retrograde with 

 great rapidity. 



The double meaning of the word selection 

 still prevailed when Darwin published his 

 << Origin of Species." This was in the year 

 1859, and at that time Shirreff was the highest 

 authority and the most successful breeder of 

 cereals. Vilmorin's method had been applied 

 only to beets, and Hallett had commenced his 

 pedigree-cultures only a few years before and 

 his first publication of the ^^ Pedigree-wheat " 



