56 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



I have often noted abnormal developments or possible reversions 

 which have suggested to me another explanation. These offer much 

 evidence that instead of the ear originating from the fusion of a num- 

 ber of two-rowed spikes, it developed directly from the central spike 

 of some tassel-like structure similar to the well-known corn tassel. 

 Tassels may be found where only a few pistillate flowers have been 

 formed on the central spike and others with more and more such 



Fig 2. A Casein which we have a well developer Twelve-rowed Ear corresponding 

 to the central spike of a tassel and surrounded at the base by a number of tour-rowed ' nub- 

 bins' that correspond to the lateral branches. 



flowers, up to where a fair-sized ear has been developed. The accom- 

 panying photograph (Fig. 1) shows some of the steps from a normal 

 tassel up to a perfect ear. JSTote that in the first step the plant is 

 almost normal (at the left), in the second the central spike of the tassel 

 is fairly well developed into a small ear, the number of lateral branches 

 has been somewhat reduced, and the internode below the tassel is some- 

 what shortened, so that the base of the tassel is partly enclosed. In the 

 third step all the lateral branches have disappeared but two, and the 



