549 
1 879.] Seed-Breeding . 
the seed, unless they are nullified by some opposing or 
counterbalancing variation which shall disguise their effecft. 
Let us illustrate this fadt : — Prof. Buckman, experimenting 
with the Vida sativa, or vetch, by a series of five selections, 
so accumulated the variations that occurred, from a plant 
but a few inches in height, gained plants more than 3 feet 
in height, and increased the weight of the seeds from half a 
grain in the original to 1 grain, and then to ij- grains in 
weight. Mr. Hallett selected his original pedigree wheat 
in 1857, the ear being 4! inches long, and containing 
47 grains ; in 1861 his finest ears were 8f inches long, and 
contained 123 grains. The second year he obtained ten ears 
to a stool, and the fifth year fifty-two ears to a stool. This 
was brought about through the selection of variations, and 
the continued selection, whereby the effects accumulated in 
the heredity of the plant. In 1848 Prof. Buckman sowed 
seeds of the wild parsnep and wild carrot, and, by careful 
selection, in 1851 the plants of the parsnep presented the 
stems and foliage of cultivated examples, and approached 
them in the character of the roots. The change effected in 
the carrots was not nearly so great as that observed in the 
parsnep, the Professor observes ; but still the progress was 
quite sufficient to show that it is within anyone’s power to 
renew both of these plants in a cultivated form from wild 
specimens. It is probable that in the Concord grape, and 
in our fine varieties of cultivated strawberries, we have the 
aCtion of selected variation to thank for the result, and none 
of us can fail to have noticed how soon the varieties of any 
fruit are offered to the public after a break in the wild spe- 
cies or cultivated species has occurred. Indeed, through 
this power of heredity, this breaking in upon the inertia of 
the wild plant by mankind — this falling back again upon a 
trained heredity by art — we have accomplished these won- 
derful results upon the nature of plants, so that now, once 
cause a wild plant to sport and the way is immediately 
opened for the breaking up of the original species into num- 
berless varieties, which shall add to the comfort, to the 
necessities, or to the gratification of mankind. 
If such is our power, — if heredity in life cannot be es- 
caped from, — and if it is the causing of variation, and the 
fixing of the changes induced which concerns us as agricul- 
turists, what practical lesson can we derive therefrom ? 
We will take up the corn plant, and show what capabilities 
are offered to energetic and skilful effort to improve this 
plant through the heredity of the seed, because few species 
are subject to greater or more valuable variations, and 
