Their Application to Live Stock. 47 
out with certain characters in the following animals : poultry, 
mice, rabbits, guinea-pigs, sheep, and horses. Indirect evidence 
has also been obtained from pigeons, canaries, snails, and 
silkworms. Even in the case of man himself it seems probable 
that certain characteristics can be shown to be inherited on 
Mendelian lines. Such a list is sufficient to show that these 
principles are of far-reaching consequence ; it is clear that they 
are going to prove of vast importance to the great breeding 
industry which has become so essential a part of our modern 
agriculture. The time has not yet come when cut and dried 
formulae for breeding “ to order ” any particular type 
can be given ; but there is no reason why the breeder 
should not take into account the facts which have already 
accumulated and endeavour to utilise them in practice. 
If this is possible, and in my judgment there is no 
question of it, the value of such work will be almost 
inestimable. The simple statement that the stock of this 
country is valued at some four hundred and fifty million 
pounds 1 sterling is enough to make it obvious that even the 
slightest improvements must in the aggregate represent an 
enormous gain. 
The improvement of stock has ever been the aim of our 
stock breeders. Thanks to their efforts our agriculture is now 
in a far sounder position than otherwise would have been the 
case, and we can still export the finest of live stock to all parts 
of the world at a profit to ourselves. The signs are not wanting, 
however, that the foreigner is gradually invading what has 
hitherto been one of our preserves, and it remains to be seen 
whether the ingrained experience of centuries in this sort of 
work will enable our agriculturists to retain the lead they have 
held so long. If the breeders will only add scientific methods 
to their extraordinary and almost instinctive knowledge of the 
features of first class stock, this position can be retained. It is 
in the hopes of giving some idea of how scientific methods 
can be employed in the raising of live stock that this article is 
written. It attempts to do no more than this, for the problems 
of the breeder are not to be solved except by specialists in each 
particular breed, who alone have the requisite knowledge to 
attempt such work profitably. 
Experiments with different varieties of wheat . — The essen- 
tial features of Mendel’s discoveries can be readily illustrated by 
following out the results of crossing together varieties of wheat 
differing from one another in certain characteristics. For the 
sake of simplicity two varieties differing in one respect only 
will be first considered. These are chosen in preference to 
1 “ The Breeding Industry : Its Value to the Country, and its Needs.” By 
Walter Heape, M.A., F.K.S., page 73. 
