24 Process of Power Changes 



In the wild state these plants had to fight for 

 existence in a world covered with other plants. 

 When man domesticated these plants he protected 

 them from weeds. As a consequence of not hav- 

 ing to fight for room against other plants, our 

 domesticated kinds have lost the power of so 

 fighting, and are unable to maintain themselves 

 when deserted by man. Idleness along that line 

 caused a loss of power on that line. There is no 

 selection in this. Man did not select plants be*- 

 cause of their inability to protect themselves. 



A seed is an inert object, but it contains germ- 

 plasm and has the power, under proper circum- 

 stances, of developing into another plant like that 

 from which it came. At least it has that power 

 when it is first produced. But let that seed lie 

 idle two, three, four or more years, and that 

 power gradually declines and finally ceases to 

 exist. The germ-plasm (the physical basis of 

 heredity) is still there, but it has lost its power 

 of developing into a new plant because of a fail- 

 ure to exercise that power for a considerable 

 length of time. The loss of powers by reason 

 of a failure to exercise them applies to the germ- 

 plasm just the same as it does to the somatoplasm. 



