444 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOKD. 



individuals of this particular variety or strain is inadequate, but on account 

 of the asymmetrical variations in individuals from the average values these 

 variations as well as the average values should be taken into consideration in 

 arriving at the most probable value of a certain factor. The author observed 

 that when careful selection is practiced in plant breeding, symmetrical varia- 

 tions occur. 



Report of the Danish seed control, 1909-10, K. Dorph-Petersen (Tidsskr. 

 Landhr. Plantcavl, 11 {1910), No. 5, pp. 732-770).— Thin thirty-ninth annual 

 report of the seed-control station gives the usual summary data of results 

 obtained in the work of the station during the year ended June 30, 1910. Dur- 

 ing the year 7,694 samples of seeds were examined. 



The Lorn seed drill and older forms of seeders, S. Hasund (Tidsskr. Noiske 

 Landhr., 18 {1911), No. 2, pp. 69-S8). — The article describes an old seed drill 

 originating in one of the interior mountain districts of Nox-way and used there 

 until recently. Its history and possible relationship to early English seed drills 

 are traced. 



HORTICTJLTUIIE. 



Eeport of the botanical department, B. D, Halsted et al. {New Jersey 

 Stas. Rpt. 1909, pp. 269-3J,3, pis. 26).— The plant-breeding studies of the de- 

 partment (E. S. R., 22, p. 140) were continued. The leading kinds of plants 

 under observation were beans, sweet corn, eggplants, peas, peppers, squashes, 

 and tomatoes. Crosses and hybrids among each of these vegetable fruits were 

 studied and are here discussed. 



In the work with beans, which is reported separately by E. J. Owen, especial 

 attention was paid to the series of crosses between mottled and white limas. 

 The hybrids between snap beans and the scarlet runner were further studied 

 and a large number of attempts to hybridize the snap and lima species are 

 under way. 



Crosses between standard sorts of sweet corn and typical western field 

 varieties were tested by a number of cooperators throughout the State and 

 elsewhere. The results indicate that the added vigor of the field parent was the 

 probable factor that saved these crosses from destruction through drought that 

 came to the early, ordinary sweet sorts. The crop of sweet field corns was good 

 and the quality of the grains excellent. The behavior of the sweet corn crosses 

 when the color of the grains is different was also studied. A practically solid 

 flinty ear of the Malamo variety grown upon poor soil in 1908 was planted 

 where the soil approaches a garden condition with the general result that there 

 was about an equal number of the flinty and the sweet grains in the whole lot of 

 ears. In some instances the fliutiuess or its absence seemed to indicate a plant 

 character, since in some ears the sweet grains are the rare exception and in 

 others the flinty ones are scarce. The authors suggest that the drifting of the 

 original sweet corn may have gone far enough toward a true flinty corn so that 

 the starch-forming quality becomes a Mendelian factor when bred with those 

 grains that are more sweet than flinty; that is, the flinty grains in an other- 

 wise sweetish ear may be due to fertilization by pollen bearing the starch- 

 forming power. 



Crosses between the American kinds of eggplants were under observation. 

 The general details of the work of developing an edible sort out of the hybrid 

 between the American and Chinese species are given. 



Owing to the death of N. D. Shore the work with peas, peppers, and squashes 

 was interrupted and is only partially reported on. A noticeable result of fer- 

 tilization within the plant among squashes was the feebleness of the vine 



