528 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOTiD. 



observations on 1.42(5 species of 544 jjeiiera of flowers iuid their insect visitors. 

 The orders of plants reported upon are those from Goodeuoviese to Cycadete. 

 The work conchides with a systematic list of the insect and other visitors 

 arranj;ed alpliabetically. 



Influence of food supply on variation, II. II. Love (Amer. Breeders' Assoc. 

 [J'roc], {190'J), PI). SolSG-'i, dgnis. //). — The author lias carried on experi- 

 ments with peas grown in sand, in ordinary gai'den soil, and in garden soil 

 heavily fertilized with manure and acid phosi)h;ite. to test the effect of the 

 available food supply on variation. A cousiilei'able ninnlter of i)eas were 

 grown in the different plats, and the data are given in talmlar and diagi-ani- 

 matic form. 



It appears that of the three characters which have to do directly wnth the 

 vigor of the plant, i. e., height, yield, and number of internodes, the variability 

 as indicated by the standard deviation increases with the food supply. The 

 coefficient of variability also increases with the food supply in the case of the 

 yield and number of internodes, but in the case of height it is less on the 

 fertilized plat than on the unfertilized. 



A study of the tables indicates that the standard deviation increases more 

 gradually as the food supitly increases than the coefficient of variability, and 

 that in studying and comparing such data the standard deviation is the best 

 index where there are such wide differences between means as was the case in 

 the author's experience. 



Clonal or bud variation, II. J. Webber (Amer. Breeders' Assoc. [Proc.}, 5 

 (1909), pp. 3J/7-357). — The author calls attention to the possibilities of plant 

 Itreeding through the selection of bud variations and points out a number of 

 instances in both annual and perennial plants where this has been taken advan- 

 tage of. He argues for a wider extension of this form of breeding and thinks 

 that this field has been neglected and should certainly receive more considera- 

 tio"n. 



Variation and correlation in the flowers of Lagerstroemia indica, J. A. 

 Harris (Mo. Bot. Gard. Ann. Rpt., 20 (1909), pp. 91-10.',). —X study has been 

 made of the sepals, petals, and large and small stamens of the crape myrtle 

 in order to determine the limits of variation and possible correlation, the data 

 being presente<l as a contribution to a quantitative study of variation. 



The correlation between length of flowering stalk and number of flowers 

 per inflorescence in Nothoscordum and Allium, J. A. Harris (Mo. Bot. (lard. 

 A)in. Rpt., 20 (1909), pp. 105-11',, dgms. 2).— As a result of statistical studies, 

 the author found a considerable degree of correlation between the length of the 

 flowering stalk of these monocotyledonous i)lants and the number of flowers 

 which they i)roduce. 



Apogamy in the maize plant, G. N. Collins (U. S. A^fl^ Mus., Contrih. Xiit. 

 Hcrhariinn. 12, pt. 10, pp. -'/.5.J-'/.».T. pis. 2). — The author describes an abnor- 

 mality found quite constantly occurring in a variety of Mexican corn grown at 

 AMctoria, Tex. The abnormality consisted in the production of branches or 

 young plants in the place of the spikelets of the male inflorescence, and prac- 

 tically every plant of this variety exhibited this character to a greater or less 

 degree. In the axils of the first leaves, which correspond to the outer glumes, 

 small roots were found, and when separated from the parent plant these 

 ai)ogamous plants took root and made considerable growth, although none lived 

 to maturity. This is believed to be a true case of apogamy similar to that in 

 onions, certain species of Agave, and other plants. 



The botany and origin of American upland cotton, F. Fletcher (Cairo 

 Kci. Jotir., ;i U909), No. 38, pp. 263-267, pis. .3).— As a result of a study of a 

 large number of plants, together with the literature relating to this species of 



