LEAKE AND RAM PRASAD 137 



terminate, while, from mimerous reasons, it is undoubtedly consi- 

 derable. It is possible, therefore, that it may be sufficient to act 

 as a masking factor. 



The plants of the F3 generation of such a cross may be said in 

 general terms to possess a vegetative period the mean of which will 

 approximate to that of the Fo parent, from which they were derived. 

 In other words, an F.^ plant with a short vegetative period, will 

 produce offsprmg which possesses a short vegetative period and in 

 hke manner those possessing a long vegetative period will give rise 

 to F3 offspring with a prolonged period of vegetative growth. This 

 is shown in Table XVIII. In the majority of families given in that 

 table the average length of the vegetative period of the offspring 

 approximates to that of the parents. In certain cases this figure 

 for the offspring is considerably less than the corresponding figure 

 for the parent. This is easily understood when the various influ- 

 ences which affect the date of appearance of the first flower — e.g., fall 

 of the immature flower buds — are considered. In a few cases only 

 does the figure for the offspring show any considerable excess over 

 that of the parent. This difference is not so readily explained. 

 The difference does not become apparent until the F^ generation 

 is wefl advanced, and as, in all probability, the influences which 

 produce this difference are such as affect the Fg plant in its early 

 stages, it is impossible to ascertain them with any degree of 

 certainty. 



Conclusion. 



In the above we have attempted to give an account of that 

 part of our work which deals with the vegetative characters of the 

 Indian cottons. Though these do not directly concern that portion 

 of the crop which is commercially valuable, yet we have said suffi- 

 cient to show that they are of considerable indirect importance. 

 The habit of the plant is, as we have shown, dependent in great 

 measure on the method of branching — and on this habit depend 

 such vital points as the suitability of the plant for field culture, and 

 the yield of kafas per acre. 



The study of the commercially valuable portion of the crop 

 is far more intricate and while a considerable amount of information 



