Early on, most breeders were simply selecting desirable qualities. For instance, to create Taitung's "Dong Selection No. 1 Day Lily," a selection of day lilies were imported from the United States, which then underwent selection for traits suited to Taiwan.
早期的育種，其實多只是「選種」，像台東的「東選 1 號金針」，就是從美國購回一批金針種子試種後，再從其中挑選出適合台灣天候的品種加以改良栽植。