﻿Vol. 
  47 
  

  

  No. 
  4 
  

  

  BULLETIN 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  TORREY 
  BOTANICAL 
  CLUB 
  

  

  APRIL, 
  1920 
  

  

  Inheritance 
  of 
  su^ar 
  and 
  starch 
  characters 
  in 
  corn 
  

  

  R. 
  A. 
  Harper 
  

  

  (with 
  plates 
  3-5) 
  

  

  The 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  evidence 
  accumulated 
  m 
  the 
  last 
  decade 
  from 
  

   the 
  most 
  widely 
  varied 
  material, 
  both 
  plant 
  and 
  animal, 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  indicates 
  that 
  judged 
  by 
  visible 
  appearances 
  for 
  many 
  

   cases 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  old 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  widely 
  separated 
  and 
  

   heritably 
  fixed 
  types 
  can 
  be 
  connected 
  by 
  finely 
  graded 
  inter- 
  

   mediate 
  forms 
  has 
  been 
  settled 
  in 
  the 
  affirmative. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  

   the 
  vast 
  number 
  of 
  observations 
  and 
  experiments 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  it 
  is 
  worth 
  while 
  not 
  to 
  lose 
  sight 
  of 
  this 
  positive 
  result 
  

   m 
  the 
  still 
  existing 
  conflict 
  of 
  rival 
  theories. 
  Such 
  series 
  of 
  con- 
  

   necting 
  links 
  have 
  been 
  produced 
  experimentally 
  under 
  rigidly 
  

   controlled 
  conditions 
  by 
  Castle, 
  Jennings 
  and 
  others. 
  It 
  is 
  

   still 
  urged, 
  however, 
  that 
  this 
  apparent 
  continuity 
  of 
  varia- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  visible 
  characters 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  true 
  index 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  the 
  germ 
  plasm. 
  The 
  old 
  dogma 
  of 
  the 
  fixit}' 
  oi 
  specific 
  types 
  

   has 
  been 
  revived 
  as 
  a 
  dogma 
  of 
  the 
  fixity 
  of 
  the 
  germ 
  plasm. 
  

   The 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  germ 
  plasm, 
  genes, 
  factors, 
  etc., 
  it 
  is 
  urged, 
  must 
  

  

  be 
  conceived 
  as 
  definite 
  and 
  

  

  pecial 
  

  

  rather 
  cataclysmic 
  alterations 
  at 
  re]ati\'c}y 
  infrequent 
  intervals. 
  

  

  The 
  range 
  of 
  evidence 
  as 
  to 
  continuity 
  of 
  variation 
  covers 
  

   nil 
  th^ 
  r^r^rT^^^« 
  i^rr^^c. 
  r.( 
  rf^nmrliirtion 
  both 
  scxual 
  and 
  asexual. 
  

  

  papers 
  

  

  we 
  may 
  note 
  that 
  such 
  series 
  oi 
  connecting 
  links 
  bet^veen 
  widely 
  

   diverse 
  end 
  products 
  have 
  been 
  produc 
  ed 
  by 
  Castle 
  and 
  rhillips 
  

  

  [The 
  BuLLETix 
  for 
  Marcli 
  (47: 
  89-136) 
  was 
  issued 
  April 
  8. 
  1920.I 
  

  

  137 
  

  

  