4rA 



'I'liK JoiKNAi. <)i- I 1i:ki;i)1tv 



Table showing some of the prineipal vegetative characteristics of the plants in the first hybrid 



generation. 



l)R'edinj^, Cornell University, by the 

 following methods. 



The seed was first sprouted in small 

 earthenware pans kept in a com germi- 

 nator. As the seeds sprouted they were 

 at onee removed and jjlanted in 2i^-inch 

 I)Ots containing ordinary potting loam. 



During the j^rocess of germination, 

 after the seeds had been several da\'s 

 in the germinator at a temperature 

 around 70 F., those seeds which still 

 remaned hard and dormant were 

 treated by immersing them for 10 

 minutes in strong commercial sulfuric 

 acid; the seeds were then washed free 

 from acid and re]jlaced in the germi- 

 nator. This treatment usually caused 

 them to sprout in one or two days. 



In the case of some few seeds which 

 were excc])tionall\' hard a second 10- 

 minute immersion in sulfuric acid was 

 necessary to render the seed coat 

 sufficiently soft to allow germination 

 to take place. For a knowledge of this 

 method of inducing germination in 

 hard seeds I am indebted to H. H. Love,^ 

 Professor of Plant-breeding Investiga- 

 tions at Cornell University. 



By the adojjtion of the method 

 described above a practicall\' perfect 

 germination was obtained; hence the 

 system can be strongly recommended 



as being well adapted for dealing 

 successfully with one of the difficulties 

 a plant breeder has frequently to en- 

 counter: viz., the task of inducing 

 germination in hard seeds which do not 

 readily res]jond to ordinary methods of 

 treatment. 



These jjlants have been raised and 

 grown under artificial conditions ex- 

 clusively and at the time of writing are 

 not yet at their full growth and not in 

 the flowering stage. It is not my pur- 

 ]jose to enter into a full discussion as to 

 whether or not there is any strict Alen- 

 delian segregation of characters; how- 

 ever, in order that whatever infonnation 

 has been obtained may be made readily 

 ax'ailable for future reference it has been 

 thought advisable to place on record the 

 restilts of observations made. 



HKIDHT OF PLANT. 



Taking first the character of "height 

 of ]jlant " it was found there was a range 

 of from two to ele\'en inches, the in- 

 crease from the shortest to the tallest 

 being fairly regular (sec fig. 6). There 

 was no evidence of discontinuity be- 

 tween Tails and Dwarfs which might be 

 looked for where segregation is in strict 

 accord with Mendelian ])rinciplcs. hence 

 a difficulty in dealing with this question 



' Love, H. H. and Leighty, C. E. Germination of Seed as Affected bv Sulfuric Acid 'I'lvat- 

 mcnt. Cornell University, Dcpt. of Plant Breeding, Bui. 312, 1912. 



