354 The Jovirnal of Heredity 



production is based upon the fact that parent to offspring; whether or not this 



certain beet plants possess the abiUty will become a fixed character time only 



to so develop the seed stems that the can tell. The indications are that this 



buds and flowers are separated from character will become fixed and that a 



each other in the process of growth, reasonable amount of care on the part 



This tendency to separate the flowers of the beet seed growers will make the 



and thereby' to produce single-germ production of singlc-gcrm beet seed 



seeds seems to be transmissible from commercially practicable. 



Success with Sugar Cane 



Sugar cane breeding has been in process at the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment 

 Station for nearly twenty years; the varieties D74 and D75, which make up about 

 half the acreage of the State, were both put out b\' the station. Rice, cotton and 

 tomatoes are also handled. 



Sugar Cane Breeding 



By selecting seedling sugar canes, the Porto Rico Agricultural Experiment 

 Station has secured varieties that are notably more resistant to disease, give a 

 larger tonnage and have a higher percentage of sucrose. Improvement of the pine- 

 apple by seedlings is also under way. Those who have eaten the pine-apple 

 will object that they know it has no seeds; but if cross pollinated, seeds are fre- 

 quentlv developed. Conditions are the same with the banana, by the seeds of 

 which, secured through crossing native varieties with fiber-producing species from 

 the Philippines, the station is attempting to produce better races. 



Controlled Cotton Breeding 



Although a good deal of cotton breeding has been done in the United States, 

 little of it has been so controlled as to aftbrd rclialjle information about the manner 

 of inheritance of characters of the cotton plant. The Mississippi Agricultural 

 Experiment Station has taken up this study, using American Upland, Sea Island 

 and Egyptian varieties in crosses, followed by isolation and self -fertilization. One 

 of the interesting points involved is the extent to which Mendel's Law is obeyed in 

 inter-specific as well as inter-varietal crosses, the claim being made by De Vries 

 and others that where distinct species or genera are concerned, Mendelism rarely 

 is demonstrable. The station also wants to produce cotton that, by ripening 

 earlier, will avoid ravages of the boll weevil ; this leads to a careful investigation of 

 the numerous factors which combine to make the quality loosely termed "earliness," 

 while the possible correlation between earliness and production of greater lengths 

 of filxr is also being studied. 



Would Utilize Bud Variation 



The West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station is endeavoring to lake advan- 

 tage of bud variation in sweet potatoes and strawberries, to improve the strains 

 grown in that State. 



