[92]
LECTURE IV
SELECTION OF ELEMENTARY SPECIES
The improvement of cultivated plants must obviously begin with already
existing forms. This is true of old cultivated sorts as well as for
recent introductions. In either case the starting-point is as important
as the improvement, or rather the results depend in a far higher degree
on the adequate choice of the initial material than on the methodical
and careful treatment of the chosen varieties. This however, has not
always been appreciated as it deserves, nor is its importance at present
universally recognized. The method of selecting plants for the
improvement of the race was discovered by Louis Vilmorin about the
middle of the last century. Before his time selection was applied to
domestic animals, but Vilmorin was the first to apply this principle to
plants. As is well known, he used this method to increase the amount of
sugar in beets and thus to raise their value as forage-crops, with such
success, that his plants have since been used for the production [93] of
sugar. He must have made some choice among the numerous available sorts
of beets, or chance must have placed in his hands one of the most
appropriate forms. On this point however, no evidence is at hand.
Since the work of Vilmorin the selection-principle has increased
enormously in importance, for practical purposes as well as for the
theoretical aspect of the subject.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108