66 BAILEY —MOVEMENT IN PLANT-BREEDING. [April 2, 
resisting races within the variety. Considerable progress has 
already been made in this direction with cotton, oats and some 
other crops. Now and then a hill or a row or a variety of potato 
resists the blight. Why? May it not be used as a starting-point 
for the development of a blight-resistant strain? The development 
of disease-resisting and pest-resisting races is one of the most 
promising developments in the new plant pathology. 
Nor are all these advances to be secured from seed selection 
alone. The cuttings and grafts of fruit plants perpetuate the par- 
ental characteristics with a good degree of surety. The time must 
soon come when it will not be sufficient to multiply the Bartlett 
pear from the Bartlett pear. We shall still further specialize our 
ideals and propagate from particular Bartlett pear trees that have 
made record performances. ‘This subject is being tested in New 
York and elsewhere. It is one of the most important problems 
now before the nurseryman and orchardist. 
All this plant- breeding work is especially of a kind to demand 
governmental support. The progress of invention can be left to 
private initiative, because the person can patent his device and” 
secure all the financial returns that it is worth. A variety cannot 
well be patented or controlled. This is particularly true of these 
great race improvements, in which no distinct and namable variety 
results ; and these race improvements are the very ones that are 
most likely to be of greatest benefit to agriculture and therefore to 
the nation. 
These methods and ideals may all be summed up as follows: 
I. To determine on what the merit in any group of plants 
depends, and to find out what is needed to make the plants more 
efficient. What makes a potato ‘‘ mealy ’’? 
II. Securing a start in the desired direction by 
(a) Choosing for seed-bearing any plants that are promising ; 
(4) Introducing prominent foundation-stock from other regions 
or other countries ; 
(c) Crossing for the purpose of injectirg a new or better char- 
acter into the strain. 
III. Continued selection, careful testing and accurate statistical 
measurements and records to keep the progress true to line. 
The first thing that strikes one in all this new work is its strong 
contrast with the old ideals. The ‘‘ points ’’ of the plants are those 
of *‘ performance’’ and ‘‘efficiency.’’ It brings into sharp relief 
