10 MAIZE WITH SILKS MATURING BEFORE THE TASSELS. 



ABNORMALITIES. 



The nature and relationships of a variety are often best determined 

 by a study of the abnormalities which the plants exhibit. Though 

 usually more pronounced the first year that a variety is grown in a 

 new locality, the relative frequency of the different abnormalities 

 is often significant. 



The following abnormalities were observed in the plants grown 

 from both ears: Husks coalesced, 2; fascicled spikelets in tassel, 3; 

 lobed husks, 5; ears with staminate flowers at tip, 4; fasciated (or 

 "bear's-foot") ears, 9; ears exserted beyond husks, 4. 



In addition to these common abnormalities that occur with varying 

 frequency in nearly all varieties, single examples of the following were 

 discovered: A leaf like bract in the tassel; a small ear inclosed in 

 husks at the base of the tassel; perfect flowers in the ear (in this plant 

 three well-defined stamens were found at the base of nearly eveiy 

 seed — an abnormality which may have been overlooked in other 

 plants, since the presence of less well-developed stamens could have 

 been determined only by carefully dissecting each ear); two seeds 

 grown together in the ear; 1 and a secondary ear borne directly in the 

 axil of the prophyllum instead of the axil of a husk, a phenomenon 

 of rare occurrence in maize, except in the hairy Mexican type (Zea 

 hirta), in which it is normal. 



The above abnormalities were confined to 21 plants. In the re- 

 maining 38 plants no abnormalities were observed. 



Great diversity was exhibited in the suckers, a characteristic of 



unimproved types, especially when grown in a new locality. The 



series was so extensive that an attempt was made to classify the 



different types, the result of which is shown in Table II, together 



with the relative frequency of the different types. These variations 



might be classed as abnormalities, but they all represent intermediate 



stages between the two normal types of branches, viz, the pistillate 



inflorescence (or ears) and normal suckers that are replicas of the 



main stalk. 



Table II. — Classification of suckers. 



No. 



Description of sucker. 



Number 

 of plants. 



Resembling main stalk, ear and tassel normal 



Similar to No. 1, with no ear developed 



Terminal infloresence staminate, with tips of central spike and branches aborted; no ear. . 



Similar to No. 3, with ear in normal position 



Terminal inflorescence staminate, with scattered pistillate flowers on both central spike 

 and branches; no ear 



Similar to No. 5, with ear in normal position 



Terminal inflorescence staminate and normal except for one pistillate branch; no ear 



Terminal inflorescence staminate and normal except for a pistillate portion at tip of cen- 

 tral spike; no ear 



Similar to No. 8, but with ear in normal position 



Terminal inflorescence staminate except for a pistillate portion at the base of both central 

 spike and branches; no ear 



17 



20 



4 



1 



1 

 1 

 1 



11 

 1 



1 This abnormality has been described and its significance discussed by Mr. J. H. Kempton in " Two- 

 Flowered Female Spikelets in Maize," Bulletin 278 of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 



[Cir. 107] 



