H. WORMALD 179 



Ti-me of Flowering. 



The records taken were the dates on whicli flowers were first seen 

 open. Usually a hill will be in full flower a week or 10 days later and 

 may remain in flower for still a fortnight longer. The period during 

 which a plant remains in flower is modified by atmospheric conditions; 

 a warm dry air favours the dehiscence of the anthers, while cold, moist 

 air is unfavourable. The time of flowering for any individual varies 

 with the age of the plant, and probably to some extent with the season 

 (the dry summer of 1914 hastened the average time of flowering of the 

 mature plants, though the difference was practically negligible). 



The older males in the garden, i.e. the well-established seedlings 

 and the plants raised by cuttings from them, represent 87 hills, and it 

 was found that in each of three of these the date of flowering had been 

 the same for the years 1912 and 1913; 44 had flowered earlier and 

 40 later during the second year, with an average date of but 0-29 of 

 a day earlier, which seems to indicate that the seasonal variation in 

 the flowering period for the two years was practically nil. In 1914 

 the average time of flowering for these mature plants was 1-G days 

 earlier than in 1912. Thus it will be seen that, though certain individuals 

 may show considerable variation from one year to another, the mean 

 time of flowering throughout the garden was, for the well-established 

 plants at any rate, about the same for the three years, and the seasonal 

 modificatioTis are probably slight except during abnormal seasons. 



One of our most promising early ,5 hops is one labelled Z 12 [= 292 

 and 293] 1, which in nine observations has commenced to flower on 

 dates ranging from June 29th to July 8th with a mean date July 3rd. 

 Another early one is 294 [= 295] with time of flowering June 30th to 

 July 4th with a mean date July 2nd. 



Late males include E 16 [=44 and 48], which in nine observations 

 came into flower from July 23rd to August 6th, with July 28th as the 

 mean date. A 13 [= 315 and 316] may be mentioned as an example 

 as a midseason male hop; its date of flowering is July 7th to 17th 

 with July 12tli as the mean. 



These observations are evidence that, just as there are early, mid- 

 season, and late varieties of female hops, so also the same variation 

 may be taken as a characteristic varietal feature of the male hops. 



* The numbers in brackets refer to hills obtained by planting cuttings from tlic hill 

 bearing the number in front of the bracket. 



