H. WuRMALO 189 



Lijiitj liikral (see Fig. 1). Short hi/era/ (see Fig. 2). 

 Very lax Very dense 



Length -t to 5 feet Length 9 to 15 niches 



Longest secondary Uiteral 0-9 in. 3^ in. 

 First intcrnode 5-7 in. 1-2 in. 



Bracteoles nearly all ojjposite Mostly alternate. 



The development of a lateral is so easily modified by external 

 factors that there is usually considerable variation in the same individual, 

 and though some j)lants evince a tendency to produce long laterals, 

 others short ones, no one plant has hitherto been met with possessing 

 laterals consistently of the long or of the short type as defined above. 

 Perhaps the best example in the garden of a ij hop with the tendency 

 to produce long laterals is one growing in hills U 27, 319, 320. 

 Those at the lower leveU are very lax, measure 1 ft. 9 in. to 5 ft., 

 and bear secondary laterals up to 8 in. in length ; at the higher level 

 they are less lax and from 1 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft. 6 in. in length with 

 secondary laterals up to 9 in. 



A male hop with very short dense laterals is J 36, which during 

 the past tjiree years has borne laterals 9 in. to 1 ft. 3 in. long at the 

 lower level and 7 to 12 inches at the higher, with secondary laterals 

 3 to 4 inches long; in this particular case they are exceptionally 

 short, and this may be due to the fact that the plant is still rather 

 young, though it is to be remarked that the laterals were, on the whole, 

 a Httle shorter in 1914 than in 1913, which seems to indicate that 

 the plant has already reached a stage of development when length 

 of lateral is no longer modified by the age of the plant. A typical 

 plant bearing short laterals may be considered as one producing laterals 

 which are in general about 15 inches long, but occasionally reaching 

 a maximum of 2 ft. 6 in. for the lower level and 2 ft. for the higher. 



The factors deterniining length of lateral are probably very complex 

 but the more evident of these may here be noted. Young seedlings 

 and hills raised from cuttings that have recently been planted have 

 invariably short dense laterals; as the vigour of the plant increases 

 so these inflorescences increase in length year by year until a certain 

 maximum is attained. The laterals are usually somewhat pendant, but 

 when they reach a suitable support they often assume the twining habit 

 characteristic of the stem and in consequence are stimulated to increased 

 growth. Again, should a bine lose its growing point by careless training 

 the upper laterals grow out at an increased rate and simulate bines. 

 Such anomahes are to be ignored when determining length of lateral. 



^ Sec page 178. 



