The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-06-01
lutions but they are dependent on mans
intelligence and supervision.

lutions but they are dependent on mans
intelligence and supervision.
Il
Perhaps the most eminent botanist of
the present day Is John Percival, pro-
fessor of botany at the Southeastern
Agricultural college, Wye, England,
He is the author of book of SOC pages
entitled Agricultural Botany Theo-
retical and Practical" I keep this val
liable book lying on my table and study
it almost daily. Here Is what Per-
cival says about these evolutions being
dependent on mans watchful care: 'The
peculiar characteristics which distin-
guish cultivated from wild plants are
seen to be connected with increased use
fulness to mankind, and 1t is through
mans agency that these useful modif-
cations have reached their present
state Of development; without the care
and constant attention of the farmer
and gardener the cultivated types
would disappear" Agricultural Botany
page 294. Gray in his botany, page 49,
in speaking Of the watch and care of
the cultivator in keeping up the i'm
provement of plants has this to say:
by selecting those individuals of a
specials which have developed or in
herited any desirable popularity, keep
ing them from mingling with their
less promising brethren, and selecting
again the most promising plants raised
from their seeds, the cultivator may In
a few generations render almost any
variety transmissible by seed, so long
as it Is cared for and kept apart. In
fact, this is the way the cultivated do
mesticated races, so useful to man, have
been fixed and preserved Races in fact,
can hardly, If at all, be said to exist
Independently of man. But man does
not really produce them. Such pecul-
iarities-often surprising enough-now
and then originate, we know not how
(the plant sports, the gardeners say
they are only preserved, propagated and
generally further developed, by the
cultivator's skilful care. If left alone,
they are likely to dwindle and perish,
or else revert to the original form Of
the species"
y
Not long since some foolish man who
wanted to attract attention, in writing
on dairy cows, advanced the idea that
the practice or custom Of keeping
their cows in stables in winter and
caring for them as pets was all wrong.
He said that they should be kept out
DOORS for that was natures way Of
keeping cows. Prof. W. F. Massey, the
brilliant editor Of the Practical Farmer,
replied to this foolishness by saying
that nature never made dairy cow
that she is the product Of mans care
and training and If turned out to ma
lures methods she would give only
enough milk to raise calf and that
little for only a few months in the
year. The same is true Of the high
types Of horses, sheep, swine, chick
ems and all other domestic animals.
Their evolution has been under mans
intelligent guidance. Take that away
and degeneration will take the place Of
evolution. If wheat should turn to
chess 1t would be degeneration instead
coded mans existence on earth Is not
here discussed.
4
But before we dismiss this question It
is proper to answer the question, How
can we dispose of the testimony Of many
honest men who claim that they have
had wheat turn to chess? I know Of
but one answer to that question: It is
easier to believe that good and honest
men are mistaken than to believe that
natures fixed laws are subject to such
whims. I once heard a good man say
in a farmers institute that he had
peach tree that bore cling peaches but,
being surrounded by freestone peaches,
it, in time, changed and bore freestone
peaches. Some of us who knew some
thing about botany and that hybdidiz-
ing could only take place by planting
the cross pollinated seed, called in
question his statement and said he