W. LAWRENCK HALLS. 



THI'; LMIKRITANCE OF .MEASIREAliLK CIIARACTKRS OF COTTON. 



bel'ore tlie abovc view regarding inl'eclive-capacily and slylai- iminiinity liad 

 been developed. In most Uplands the style is mucli shorter Ihan in Ihe Egyp- 

 tians, as is also Ihe slaminal column. Moasurement of the Fj showed ségré- 

 gation in both respects, and several families werc raised in which the short 

 Upland style was complelely surroundcd by the long Egyptian column, so as to 

 be visible only Irom above. Thèse families bred true, but, much to our surprise, 

 were as liable to vicinism as the families with normal prolruding styles. This 



3.5 



FiR. .j. — Sk.li'Ioii 



iliouin;; iicw F,, rmiiis. 



failure of lloral slruclure lo |iro(ect the s[yl(> IimI to Ihc n'-ii|iiMiiiig of the ques- 

 tion, willi tlic resulls desuribed above. 



I\HERIT.\NCE OK A MEIiliSTlC CU.VR.VCTER. 



Tlie ovary ni' (lie cotton flower consists of several loiuii. the cxln-me 

 numbers \\ilhin tlie writer's personal expérience being one and sevcn. Thèse 

 loculi (levelope l'rom independent rings of meristematic lissue, which develop 

 into flask-shaped bodies, and Hicse coalesce to form tlie ovary. The number of 

 loculi in thû ovary tluis dépends on the number of rings of uKM-istemnlic lissue 

 originally developed at the growing point. 



Secondarily, however, the number of loculi might be iidlucnced liy abor- 

 lion of one or more of thèse rings. We hâve no évidence as to Ihc occurrence 

 of this, but it is a possibility which should be remembcred. 



The number of loculi in the ovary varies from llower to llowci'. Il is easily 

 counled when the fruit (Ihe boll) lias opencd. ^^'e then find that différences 

 exist belween various cotions, nol mei'ely of dilTerent reputed s[)ecies. bul even 

 wilhin the same nominal species. .V plant in which ail the bolls are aliUe is a 

 rarily: usually a plani will bear three-loculi, with a few i'oin'-loculi. or pcrhaps 

 nearly ail four-loculi. wilii a l'cw five-loculi. Two-loculi ovaries are not 

 common, wliile singic-loculi. or sixcs or sevens, are very rare, and may lie 

 considered as abnormalities in Go^!<ijpi>im. 



By recording a number of bolls on eacli plant we olitain a formula w iiicli 

 is significant of suflicient bolls hâve been recorded; thus, a plant giving the 

 resuit... (II = 5, III = 27) is denotod as 2.9 ; another plant wilh (III = 27, and 

 IV = 3), is denoted as.'.l. .V plant wilh nothing but li\i'-loculi ovaries (i.e.. 

 ail V) is denoted as .t. II. 



The mean loculi-formula for Egyptian cotton is in tlic neighbourliood of 



IV tOSFÉR. INTtlO. lit iiLM,TiULt. 'iN 



