368 REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE ON GENETICS. 
varieties, with the exception of the ‘ Black Somalis’ wheat.* Is it possible 
that it is the sign of a mutation ?—a mutation which will, after all, be not 
very permanent, as some of these wheats have shown no more signs of it 
for some years. 
2. A soft wheat of which the ear is sterile at the base and tip. 
3. A soft wheat with crooked supernumerary spikelet. 
4. An ear with supernumerary spikelets, side view (fig. 104), 
5. An ear with supernumerary spikelets, front view (fig. 104). 
6. An ear turned half round on its axis (fig. 104). 
1. ‘Red St. Laud’ wheat with bifurcated ear (fig. 105). 
2. ‘Shirriff’ x ‘Noé’ with numerous supernumerary spikelets 
(fig. 105). 
‘Black Somalis ’ wheat (fig. 103). 
PARTIAL STERILITY. 
In one of the affixed photographs (fig. 104, 2) is shown a wheat whose 
lower and upper spikelets are always sterile. This peculiarity arises from 
time to time and is transmissible. It shows a certain analogy to that 
of the double stocks which were talked about some time ago, and obliges 
us to admit the fact, paradoxical in appearance, that sterility may be 
hereditary. It is a phenomenon of lateral heredity ; some fertilised 
ovules always reproduce a certain proportion of sterile ovules. 
VARIATIONS IN HEIGHT. 
In 1902, amongst some bastard but apparently well-fixed wheats, 
I noticed one plant (‘Shirriff’ x ‘Noé’) with very short and stiff straw, 
scarcely one metre (or 3 feet) high, when the others were 1 metre 
40 centimetres, and whose parents were much the same height. 
In 1908, from the seed of the same plant, I got 227 plants, of which 
147 were dwarf and 80 were tall. This year, and ever since, the difference 
was always perfectly distinct between the tall plants and the dwarf ones, 
and there were no intermediate forms. 
In 1904, I found 116 tall plants and 177 dwarfs. I also discovered 
two plants still higher than the 116 tall ones, one bearded and one with 
red ear (the two parents were white- eared), but both of them were of the 
hybrid type. 
In 1905, the proportion of dwarf plants was less—85 to 196 tall ones. 
One of the dwarf plants had red ears. 
In 1904 and 1905, many supernumerary spikelets were noticed amongst 
the dwarf plants as well as amongst the tall ones. 
VARIATION IN FORM. 
Tr. durum (‘Blé de Médéah’), a variety that had been fixed for 
a very long time, produced scme soft white wheats, and one with a 
branched ear, as follows : 
1. Slender and beardless. 
2. Compact and beardless. 
* The ten first named of these wheats were nearly related (section 4 of my classi- 
fication), and for the most part of Australian origin. 
