28 



PLANT BREEDING 



purpose should not be to multiply varieties needlessly. It should 

 rather be to obtain products that are better than the best. Such 

 an aim is a worthy one. 



The Tomato. — When people are canning tomatoes or slicing 

 them for the table, they will notice wide variations in the propor- 

 tion of flesh to seed pulp. A little observation will show certain 

 individuals with tough skin which would allow the fruits to be 

 handled without much damage. Some individuals are deeply lobed 

 and cause waste of the fruit at paring time; others are bad in color; 



Fig. 15. — Breeding plots of plants must be protected from sparrows if comparisons are to 

 be made in yield, etc. (Minnesota Station.) 



still others may rot badly, and some plants may suffer from blight. 

 By saving seed from individuals that are most perfect in all these 

 characteristics the gardener is establishing a most beneficial prac- 

 tice. It may result in improving tomatoes for all the world. 



Improving Seed Potatoes. — In saving seed from Irish potatoes 

 (Fig. 16) and from sweet potatoes, we must remember that we are 

 saving the buds or the roots from the parent plant. There is no 

 pollinating or crossing involved in either case. If we save seed 

 potatoes from the most productive plants, the tendency will be to 



