140 STUDIES IN INDIAN COTTONS 



Assuniiiio" the correctness of these two stateineiits, let us 

 see what must follow in — to take a particular case — a ' s3mipo- 

 dial ' plant of the Asiatic type of cotton. In such a plant, as I 

 have shewn elsewhere (Jour, of Genetics I, p. 232), the passage 

 from the lower vegetative, to the upper, fruiting, branches is 

 abrupt and, further, when grown under normal conditions, a 

 single branch only develops, the second bud at each leaf axil 

 remains dormant. As the vegetative branch is developed from 

 the axillary, and the fruiting branch from the extra-axillary bud, 

 and as the extra-axillary bud lies constantly either to the right, 

 or to the left of the main bud, it follows that, when the dormant 

 bud on the lower, vegetative, portion of the stem lies to the 

 right, the dormant bud on the upper, fruiting, portion of the 

 stem must lie to the left, and that, conversely, when the dormant 

 bud on the vegetative portion of the stem lies to the left, that 

 on the upper, fruiting, portion of the stem must lie to the right. 

 Observation, however, shews that, in the type of cotton we are 

 considering, the position of the dormant bud is constant through- 

 out the shoot, — a condition I am inclined to believe obtains in the 

 American series of cotcons also, though our observations of these 

 are less extensive. It is impossible, therefore, that the two pro- 

 positions I have quoted can both hold good. 



One further point only can be referred to by me here. On 

 p. 12, a reference is made to the influence of environment on the 

 character of the branches ; under conditions which dwarf the 

 plants, few, or no, vegetative branches are produced while, under 

 conditions favouring luxuriant growth, the fruiting branches may 

 be replaced or transformed into vegetative branches. 



In the sympodial types, as defined by us, the extra-axillary, 

 and even the lower axillary, buds remain dormant if the condi- 

 tions of cultivation are such as to check growth. Under such 

 circumstances no vegetative branches are produced. When, how- 

 ever, the same types are grown under conditions favouring luxu- 

 riant growth both buds develop, giving, in the lower portion of 

 the stem, tiro vegetative shoots — a condition incompatible with 

 the second statement quoted' — and, in the upper portion, one 



