One of them produced during the ensuing summer one four-bladed and one
five-bladed leaf. The seeds were saved separately and sown the following
spring and the expected result could soon be seen. Among some 250
individual plants I counted 22 with one or two deviations, and 10 with
from three to nine four- or five-bladed leaves. Proportions nearly
similar have been observed repeatedly. Better nourished individuals have
produced more deviating leaves on one plant, partly owing to the larger
number of stems and branches, and poor or average specimens have mostly
been without any aberration or with only one or two abnormal leaves. No
further improvement could be attained. Quadrifoliolate leaves were
always rare, never [360] attaining a number that would put its stamp on
a whole bed. I have endeavored to get some six- and seven-bladed crimson
clover leaves, but in vain; selection, culture of many hundreds of
individuals, manure, and the best possible treatment has not been
adequate to produce them. Of course I am quite convinced that a
repetition of my experiment on a far larger scale would yield the
desired types, but then only in such rare instances that they would have
no influence whatever on the average, or on the improvement of the race.
The eighth generation in the year 1903 has not been noticeably better
than the second and third generations after the first selection.
In comparing this statement with the results gained in the experiment
with the red clover, the difference is at once striking. In one case a
rich variety was isolated, and, by better treatment and sharp methods of
selection, was brought up in a few years to its highest pitch of
development. In the other case a very weak race was shown to exist, and
no amount of work and perseverance was adequate to improve it to any
noticeable degree.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account