Agricultur, Horticultur, Forstbotanik. 349 



Cotton, J. S., The Improvement of Mountain Meadows. (Bull. 

 127, Bureau Plant Ind. U. S. Dept. Agric. (Washington, D. C), 

 p. 1-29, pls. 1—4. 1908.) 



Experiments in the Wenache Mts. in Washington and in the 

 Sierras of California in seeding mountain meadows to various 

 grasses. Timothy {Phleum pratense) and redtop (Agrostis vulgaris) are 

 of value either singly or together. Redtop is valuable for reseeding 

 wornout ranges too wet for timothy. Mountain brome-grass {Bromus 

 marginatus) is a native of the Wenache Mts. and grows well on 

 gravelly hillsides that have been denuded by overgrazing but it is 

 not relished by stock if there is other succulent food to be had. 

 The seed is heavy and 25 Ibs. should be sown to the acre and 

 harrowed in. W. T. Swingle. 



East, M., Report of the Agronomist. (Biennial Rep. for 1907— 

 1908, Connecticut Agric. Exp. Station (New Haven, Conn.) p. 397 — 

 452. pls. 33—41. May 1908.) 



I. Prospects of Better Seed Corn in Connecticut, 

 p. 397 — 405, pls. 33 — 38. A dent variety producing two medium ears 

 to the stalk is desired for ensilage. It has been shown that two ears 

 on a stalk will mature as quickly as one of the same average size. 

 The possibility of more productive flint varieties through the Isola- 

 tion of superior strains is also suggested. 



The essential characters of sugar varieties are described. Atten- 

 tion is called to the desirability of thick husks. In an ear to the 

 row test of Stowell's evergreen one row produced ears with an 

 unusually large number of husks and these ears remained in eating 

 condition for a week, while those with fewer husks were in condi- 

 tion for only one day. 



II. Practical Use of Mendelism in Corn Breeding. 

 p. 406—418, pl. 39. Through a knowledge of Mendel's laws it is 

 possible to secure strains that are pure with respect to particular 

 characters in a much shorter time than was hitherto possible. The 

 writer questions Lock's Statement that there is a reversal of domi- 

 nance where poUen of a plant with blue seeds (dominant) is crossed 

 on a white seeded plant and fails to produce the blue color, through 

 xenia. He- Claims that the blue color is present, although latent, and 

 that there is reason to believe that this latency is due to another 

 heritable factor which, when present, does not allow the manifesta- 

 tion of the blue color. Likewise with the flint-sweet allelomorph, 

 the flint varieties though pure are held to bear the character of 

 sweetness in addition to that of flintness and in the same way the 

 sweet varieties produce germ-cells carrying two factors, sweetness 

 and the "absence flintiness". With respect to colors, yellow is always 

 completely dominant over white, while the dominance of purple 

 appears to a varying extent. The yellow colors are confined to the 

 endosperm and the purples to the aleurone layer, and both of these 

 are observable, through xenia, the same generation the cross is 

 made. The red colors on the contrary, are located in the pericarp 

 and are not visible until the next generation. The red color ma}'- 

 mask either a yellow or a white endosperm and because of the dif- 

 ficulty of securing uniformity breeders are advised against producing 

 red varieties. 



To isolate from a hybrid a pure strain possessing the dominant 

 form of a character residing in the endosperm, it is recommended 



