1918] AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 29 



of albinism appear, the plants grading almost imperceptibly from white into 

 yellow. 



The progeny of a self-fertilized ear from a sister plant of the male parent 

 of the cross between Z. ramosa and Z. tunicata was observed in 1916 to have 

 produced many albino plants. The yellow endosperm is thought to have come 

 from the Z. ramosa parent, no albino seedlings having yet been found in the 

 strain. It is considered as possible, however, that the apparent coherence is 

 really a physiological correlation between white or albino endosperm and albino 

 seedlings. 



Observations on the inheritance of anthocyan pigment in paddy varieties, 

 G. P. Hector (Mem. Dept. Agr. India, Bot. Ser., 8 {1916), No. 2, pp. 89-101, 

 pis. 2). — Recording and discussing observations made at Dacca on the inheri- 

 tance of reddish and purplish anthocyan pigment in various portions of the 

 plant, which were made in the course of more directly practical work, the 

 author states that the colors in the leaf sheath, glume apex, and stigma of 

 certain varieties of rice appear to be due generally to the interaction of sev- 

 eral factors, the color present in the stigma in certain cases appearing to be 

 associated with the presence of an extra factor which is missing from the 

 other portions named. In cases in which the color is due to the interaction 

 of factors, the presence of all color factors appears to be necessary for the pro- 

 duction of any color. 



Further studies on the relationship between bilateral asymmetry and 

 fertility and fecundity in the unilocular fruit, J. A. Haekis {Genetics, 2 

 {1917), No. 2, pp. 186-204, fiffs. S).— The author has previously (B. S. R., 36, 

 p. 221) outlined attempts made to solve certain correlation problems regarding 

 morphological and physiological characters of plants. He here summarizes the 

 whole of the available data bearing upon the 16 series herein reported and 

 analyzed as resulting from a study of fertility in pods of the garden bean. This 

 was a study of bilateral asymmetry as related to the number of ovules produced 

 on the two carpellary margins and the capacity for seed production of the 

 unilocular fruit. 



The constants from the data are considered to justify the conclusion that 

 there is a negative relationship between bilateral asymmetry and the capacity 

 of the pod for maturing its ovules into seeds. 



On the applicability of Pearson's biserial r to the problem of asymmetry 

 and fertility in the unilocular fruit, J. A. Hakbis {Oenetics, 2 {1917), No. 2, 

 pp. 205-212, fig. i).— This paper is intended to illustrate the applicability of 

 the method presented by Pearson (E. S. R., 22, p. 671) for measuring the in- 

 tensity of relationship between an alternative and a quantitatively measured 

 variable to the problem of the relationship between bilateral asymmetry and 

 capacity for seed production in the unilocular fruit, as a contribution to the 

 further analysis of the matter above noted. 



The constant of correlation proves to be a very low order. 



Supplementary determinations of the relation^ip between the number of 

 ovules per pod and fertility in Phaseolus, J. A. Harris {Genetics, 2 {1917), 

 No. S, pp. 282-290, figs. 2). — The data upon which the present discussion is based 

 are those of the paper above noted, and the method of determining correlation 

 is the one usually employed. The study of the several series of data for Phaseo- 

 lus here presented is considered to justify the conclusion that there is here a 

 negative relationship between the number of ovules per pod and the capacity 

 for maturing these ovules into seed. 



