1074 



Institute of Agricultural, Botany. 



[Mar., 



distance along the path on which it seemed that the new Institute 

 should travel. 



The Swedish Society for the Improvement of Seeds had 

 come into existence at a time when elsewhere no attempt 

 whatever was being made towards crop improvement; its aims 

 were proprietary, for it was constituted solely with a view to 

 supplying its own members with superior strains of farm crops 

 which it proposed to obtain by methods of selection. It existed 

 for production rather than distribution, and when, later, dis- 

 tribution was introduced as a new 7 development, the Company 

 which was formed for this purpose worked primarily for the 

 benefit of its shareholders, and, in effect, swamped any com- 

 petition likely to prejudice its prosperity. 



The functions of the National Institute of Agricultural 

 Botany were designed with quite a different object. It was 

 emphatically " National," and it set out to encourage every 

 effort towards plant improvement, no matter from what 

 source that effort originated; only itself embarking on such 

 undertakings as w 7 ould assist others, whether seedsmen, scien- 

 tists or farmers, to advance in the direction of improved output, 

 ensuring to the fruits of such endeavours a more speedy and 

 profitable recognition and use. Its very constitution is proof 

 of its catholicity, for members of the Council are nominated 

 by the following bodies: — The Ministry of Agriculture, Carn- 

 brige University, Oxford University, The Agricultural Seed 

 Trade Association, The National Association of Corn and Agri- 

 cultural Merchants, The National Association of British and 

 Irish Millers, The Royal Agricultural Society of England, The 

 National Farmers' Union, with the addition of members to be 

 nominated by the Fellows, concerning whom more w T ill be 

 said at the end of this article. 



From the first it was obvious that plant-breeding was outside 

 the Institute's functions, for the rediscovery of Mendel's papers 

 had already given an unprecedented impetus to this essential 

 foundation of the success of the undertaking, turning it from a 

 game of chance into a science. What was now required was 

 an outlet from the research station to the market, but designed 

 in such a manner that egress would only be conceded to pro- 

 ductions of proved merit. Thus, in relation to new varieties, 

 the Institute took as its basic principles " test " and " multi- 

 plication," at the same time making provision for a reasonable 

 profit to the producer, who hitherto had been the smallest 

 participant in the fruits of his effort. 



