308 Plant-Breeding 



This Swedish discovery has changed the outlook on 

 the problem of plant-breeding, especially the methods of 

 selection. It could be easily demonstrated that there 

 existed in any cultural variety of plants a large number 

 of independent forms having widely divergent qualities 

 and a practical value that was quite useful. It was 

 found, moreover, that most of the descendants or " pedigree 

 culture " of single individuals were constant. 



In employing the old method of "mass selection," 

 they were working blindly without knowing how or when 

 or even whether they were going to reach a stability of 

 type ; on the other hand the method of pedigreed culture 

 or "individual selection" eliminated the fear of failure 

 because of the appearance of the hitherto unsurmountable 

 variations. The varieties are already there, and fixed 

 from the beginning of the work ; the only difficulty is to 

 learn to recognize them and to place the proper valuations 

 upon them. 



The success of this method of breeding at Svalof has 

 profoundly modified the method of selection in this 

 country. The principle almost universally applied now 

 is the method of individual selection. Thus we hear 

 about plant-to-row, head-to-row, ear-to-row, or tuber-unit 

 testing, depending upon the plant used. 



This method of selection is by no means the only one 

 used for plant improvement at the Swedish station, hy- 

 bridization also plays an important part in the work. 



The work has grown very rapidly and has now been 

 split up into different departments with an expert in 

 charge of each. 



Commercial breeding agencies. The chief among com- 



