450 NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



phenomenon. The much-compressed and misshapen butt-grains are 

 no more apt to produce white plants than those from the middle 

 of the row ; neither are the small tip grains so disposed. Both 

 extremities of the cob produce inferior grains, which quickly lag 

 behind in the race of life, and are, for that reason, unfit for seed. 



The grains were mutilated with the knife by cutting away a half, 

 or less, of the endosperm just after they had become softened, or 

 before in some instances ; and while such grains germinated more 

 quickly, probably due to the more ready access of water, they made 

 a less vigorous growth than uncut grains and showed no increased 

 percentage of albinos. 



As the lack of green is evident from the first, there seemed little 

 use of testing different media for germination ; but tests have been 

 made between blotting-paper in pure sand and in potting soil ; but 

 .none of these exerted any apparent influence upon albinism. 



The best-matured grains from well-developed ears were placed in 

 contrast with small grains of less perfect ears, and here there was a 

 marked difference, the poorly-formed, starved or immature grains 

 being more apt to produce the albinos. In one such instance a 

 small ear, but with the individual grains of fair size and good appear- 

 ance, produced as high as fifteen albinos out of the one hundred 

 grains taken consecutively from three of the rows. 



The grains were germinated with various media, in a dark chamber, 

 -with the same results as previously determined in the light. The 

 albinos were easily selected from the time they were two inches high, 

 because of the same pale color as when grown in the light, which was 

 easily distinguished from the straw-color of the seedlings, that in the 

 light would have been green. In several instances, when the pan of 

 seedlings from the dark chamber was brought into diffused light, the 

 straw-yellow plants quickly became green, and, of course, the albinos 

 did not change their color. 



Other methods of torture Lave been indulged in, as that of adding 

 uncongenial liquids to the seeds, either in sand, soil or the blotting- 

 paper ; but none of these have resulted in changing the percentage 

 of the albinos. 



Excess of temperature has been applied. Thus, soaked grains 

 have been placed in water on the window-sill, over night, and the ice 

 thawed out quickly, and the freezing repeated the next night, while 

 a corresponding lot of grains from the same ear was placed in warm, 

 jnoist soil, that oft'ered the best conditions for growth. Here, again, 



