90 



Journal oj Agricultural Research 



voL m. Xo. I 



Table II. — Azera^ Hmej'rom planting to fitrxering of varieties of ■muaze 



Vaikiy. 



Xnndjer ct Xcmfaer oc 



dzs3tofii5t . days to Szsc 



poftTi ' silks. 



Egyptian 



Voorliees Red. 

 Hybrid Pfagb . 

 Hybrid PI197 . 



72- 1= 



72-0:=; .2 



72. 5± .2 



73- 9==- 3 

 77-1= .3 

 73-5= -4 

 73-6= .4 



With resp)ect to the apipearance of the staminate flowers the only 

 significant difference is the slightly later flowering of the Egyptian variety. 

 With respect to the appearance of silk', the Voorhees Red, the low- 

 yielding variety, was distinctly later. The average time between the 

 opening of staminate flowers and the appearance of silks was less than 

 one day in the Egyptian and five days in the Voorhees Red variety. 

 Both hybrids were intermediate, with 1.5 and i.i days, resj)ectively, 

 between the average time of the apf)€arance of poUen and silks. 



A further comparison of the hybrids with their parents with respect to 

 minor characters brings to Ught a number of striking differences. A 

 comparison of the characters measured is made in Table III. 



Table III. — Comparison of minor ckaracters of maize hybrids -iritk their futrents 



* Measured {mm tbe top of the appermcst leaf sfaeath to the lowest tassel bnmrfi 



b Measured along the axis from the insertion of the first to tbe insertion of the last primary tassel brandl. 



c Measnxed from insertion of last tassel braodi to tip of ta<Kpl 



In all of the characters measured, with the exception of '"Number of 

 nodes above the longest leaf" and "Number of nodes above the ear," 

 there was a measurable difference between the two parents. In the 

 "Number of suckers" and in the four tassel measurements there was also 

 a significant difference between the two hybrids. The mean of the 

 h\-brids shows a close approximation to the mean of the parents in the 

 total number of leaves, exsertion of tassel, length of the central spike, 

 number of secondary branches, and number of nodes above the ear 

 and the longest leaf. The characters in which the hybrid exceeds the 



