﻿Inconstancy 
  of 
  Improved 
  Races 
  775 
  

  

  ears 
  of 
  corn 
  or 
  maize. 
  The 
  kernels 
  are 
  ar- 
  

   ranged 
  in 
  longitudinal 
  rows, 
  and 
  these 
  rows 
  are 
  

   observed 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  varying, 
  but 
  always 
  even, 
  

   numbers. 
  This 
  latter 
  circumstance 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  each 
  two 
  neighboring 
  rows 
  contain 
  

   the 
  lateral 
  branches 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  row 
  of 
  spikelets, 
  

   the 
  axes 
  of 
  which 
  however, 
  are 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  

   fleshy 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  ear. 
  The 
  variation 
  of 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  rows 
  is 
  easily 
  seen 
  to 
  comply 
  with 
  

   Quetelet's 
  law, 
  and 
  often 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  ears 
  suf- 
  

   fice 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  trustworthy 
  curve. 
  Fritz 
  Miil- 
  

   ler 
  made 
  some 
  experiments 
  upon 
  the 
  inheritance 
  

   of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  rows, 
  in 
  Brazil. 
  He 
  chose 
  

   a 
  race 
  which 
  averaged 
  12 
  rows, 
  selected 
  

   ears 
  with 
  14, 
  16 
  and 
  18 
  rows, 
  etc., 
  and 
  sowed 
  

   their 
  kernels 
  separately. 
  In 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  cul- 
  

   tures 
  he 
  counted 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  on 
  the 
  

   ears 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  plants 
  when 
  ripe, 
  and 
  calculated 
  

   their 
  average. 
  This 
  average, 
  of 
  course, 
  does 
  

   not 
  necessarily 
  correspond 
  to 
  a 
  whole 
  number, 
  

   and 
  fractions 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  neglected. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Vilmorin's 
  rule 
  he 
  always 
  found 
  

   some 
  progression 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  and 
  some 
  re- 
  

   gression. 
  Both 
  were 
  the 
  larger, 
  the 
  more 
  the 
  

   parent-ear 
  differed 
  from 
  the 
  general 
  average, 
  

   but 
  the 
  proportion 
  between 
  both 
  remained 
  the 
  

   same, 
  and 
  seems 
  independent 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   the 
  deviation. 
  Putting 
  the 
  deviation 
  at 
  5, 
  

   the 
  progression 
  calculated 
  from 
  his 
  figures 
  is 
  

  

  