116 PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



of a particular organism in large numbers and by continued 

 selection of the variations best meeting the conditions move 

 rapidly forward by a series of increments toward the goal 

 of perfection. What could be more simple? Instead of corn 

 having an acreage yield of fifty bushels, there would with 

 a proper supply of plant food be a production of two hun- 

 dred, two hundred and fifty, or even three hundred bushels. 

 Instead of politicians with no perspective beyond their 

 immediate welfare — a re-election, — instead of college presi- 

 dents and faculties with their numerous shortcomings — 

 according to the students and occasionally the trustees — 

 there would be the ideal individual bred to specification and 

 not necessarily made in Germany. 



Unfortunately variations with a perverseness incom- 

 prehensible, uniformly refused to accumulate in the manner 

 desired and at times even demonstrated their obstinacy by 

 retrogression. It was plainly evident that there were limits 

 imposed by nature not easily passed and in connection with 

 which much experimental work must be undertaken before 

 definite progress was made and the facts fully understood. 



With a realization of the difficulties involved in an at- 

 tempt to apply evolution, it will be well to pause for a 

 moment and consider certain fundamental principles before 

 discussing the results of some of the investigations which 

 for a time at least promised much toward the solution of 

 the problem. Thus it may be stated that evolution in its 

 diflferent modifications postulates in general (1) the occur- 

 rence of numerous varying individuals, some of which are 

 (2) eliminated by environmental stimuli leaving few or no 

 offspring, while (3) the survivors transmit to their progeny 

 the characters which proved of selective value with the 

 result that (4) through the continuation of the process the 

 race eventually becomes adapted to surrounding conditions. 

 The first two propositions are merely statements of fact.. 

 The real difficulties of the situation are those of ascertain- 

 ing how variations which are transmitted may be recog- 

 nized and produced so that the result will be a cumulative 



