WHAT SCIENCE DOES FOR THE – LOT OF MAN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 57, 30 November 1907, Page 14

WHAT SCIENCE DOES FOR THE - LOT OF MAN.

"Modern science has done much to improve the lot of man through a better understanding of life processes. His diseases are being studied, and as a result of modern methods of sanitation, antiseptic surgery and soi'um therapeutics maiiy diseases that once , were scourges are now controlled. A factor in the further' betterment of the condition of man," writes Professor Harry Snyder in the October "Harper," "is the improvement of his food. ..... "By careful selection of the parent stock in plant breeding, as in animal breeding, certain characteristics can be- intensified and moro firmly fixed, while otlior and less desirable ones can in part be eliminated. "The general principles of heredity formulated by Mendel give much promise in t-lio way of crop improvement through more systematic methods 'of breeding. It is believed by many biologists that Mendel's law offers in. part a solution to somo of the perplexing probloms in plant and animal improvement. It i? too early, however, to predict what benefits can reasonably bo expected from - its application. This law attempts to reduce to a mathematical basis the "characteristics of the progeria of plants and animals; a certain percentage having the individual characteristics of each parent, and a certain percentage the blended characteristics of botli parents. It is not too much to' expect that the proposed law with modifications will do much to place tho scienco of plant breeding upon a rational basis. "In tho case of corn, careful selection of seed has resulted in tho production of plants which have a tendency to produco an additional ear, thereby increasing tho yield 10 to 25 . per cent. Also- ears of larger size and, -more uniform character are secured by breeding and selecting the seed corn. One of the best examples of the improvement of ■ a crop' by solection and breeding is the sugar beet,' which has been developed from tho common stock of garden boots that contain only a email amount of saccharine material and are unsuitable for the manufacture of sugar, until high grade beets containing 16 to 18 per cent of sugar aro secured. "As a result of the study of socds, their requirements aro bettor known. In many instances the vitality of the crop is unnecessarily loworod through storage of tho soed in poorly ventilated' rooms and bins. Tho life process of the seed goes in to a certain extent eyon during storage. There is a slight activity of tho cells, resulting in the production of carbon dioxide. This might be called vegetable respiration. • When this ceases death and decay onsuo. With the seed it is either a state, of lifo or death. There is no absolutely dormant period in seed life. "Wliilo tho. selection and breeding of seeds has done much and is destined to do moro for tho improvement of crops, plant brccdi.ig alone will not produco tho results that caiT bo secured through tho judicious feeding of crops coupled with seed improvement. Feeding of crops is too frequently neglect O. A larger supply of plant food is the crying need of many soils, and low yields and poor quality of crops are moro frequently duo to tho lack of food than to any other eauso except adverse, climatic conditions. There is a close relationship between soil and crop. The improvement of tho one is dependent upon tho upbuilding of the other." i. j u ..J—