EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 449 



desired results, and as the winter progressed it was evident]|that the 

 emulsion was able to hold the mildew almost completely in check. 

 Plants that were not sprayed became in all instances badly mildewed 

 and dwarfed, while the treated ones kept nearly free of the fungus 

 and showed a satisfactory trrowth in all parts. 



Plate XI. illustrates the work in spraying. In the upper left-hand 

 portion is shown a sprayed phlox plant, and on the right, one of the 

 same age, untreated. The left-hand box shows five sprayed plantaiik 

 plants, with a similar untreated box at the right. 



ALBINISM IN S'WEET CORN. 



Albinism is occasionally met with in animals, as white mice, 

 white crows and white blackbirds. In plants it is often partial and 

 rarely complete, for in plants it is physiologically different from in 

 animals, as, in its completeness, it is suicidal. The Century Dic- 

 tionary defines albinism in plants as "A condition of flowers or 

 leaves in which they are white instead of having their ordinary 

 colors, owing to a persistent deficiency of the usual coloring matter, 

 to be distinguished from blanching or etiolation where the color 

 returns on exposure to light." Jackson, in his recent " Glossary of 

 Botanic Terms,'' states, "Albinism, a disease from absence of normal- 

 coloring." In corn, albinos are perhaps the least rare ; and many- 

 recall seeing white seedlings in the field. 



The specimens that have been under consideration were met with' 

 in sweet corn that resulted from a cro.«s between the " Black Mexi- 

 can" and "Egyptian" varieties, and in the progeny of the second 

 year of experimentation. The 1900 crop was grown from pink grains 

 that were all from a single ear of the " Egyptian." (See Report for 

 1900, pages 439-444. ) The one-twentieth acre was so situated that it 

 had no opportunity for pollination from any other corn, save a few 

 stalks of the same variety, ninety yards away. It was an inbreeding 

 in a mild way. All of the ears of corn upon the plot in question 

 were practically alike, in being thoroughly mixed and nearly equally 

 between the white and pink or purple grains. In the tests for vital- 

 ity of this corn the albinos became a prominent factor, and, in round 

 numbers, one seedling in ten has proved to be white. 



The crossed corn has been tested in several ways, with the thought 

 of determining whether the tendency to albinism is inherent in the 

 grains, or may be developed during germination. First, it was deter- 

 mined that the position upon the rob had nothing to do with thi* 



29 



