356 



PLANT HYBRIDIZATION BEFORE MENDEL 



stated, not that an absolute ratio exists, but that "the characters 

 yellow and smooth," are "of higher value or hereditary potency 

 than the characters green and wrinkled (die Merkmale gelb und 

 glatt als von hoheren Werthigkeit oder \'ererbungspotenz wie die 

 Merkmale griin und runzelig)." {ib., p. 534.) 



However, in an immediately following statement of the numeri- 

 cal results with these characters, the writer reports as follows : 



(1) Pot-grown hybrid plants 



Yellow 

 61 

 Green smooth 

 15 



(2) Field-grown hybrid plants 



No. of plants Yellow 



1 79 



1 52 



203 



In another case reported from six plants, the ratio of two char- 

 acters was found as follows: 



or a ratio of 9:3:3:1. (ib., pp. 526-8.) 



The conclusion is then stated (3b, p. 535) as follows: 



"The number of the bearers of the dominating or as the case may he 

 prevailing characters is thus related to the bearers of the recessive about 

 aszw" 



We thus find, at the beginning of the period of Mendelian in- 

 vestigation, the use of the concept "dominating" or "prevailing" 

 instead of "dominant," reflecting in this respect the influence of 

 the preceding generations of the older hybridizers rather than 

 the direct influence of Mendel himself. 



For "the products of those hybrids, whose parents were differ- 

 ent in two seed-characters" (3b, p. 535), the following experi- 

 mental results are further given : 



