24 

 may be present in varying degrees in the germ itself? 



Grant, for the sake of argument, that it is an inherent 

 quality of the soluble proteins in the embryo. *7e must consider 

 the embryo not as a gamete or as a pair of them but as a zygote. 

 The combination of the hereditary equipment has already been 

 made and determined. 2ven though the pollination is by the 

 same plant there is a chance for a certain amount of varia- 

 bility on account of the maturation process. Then is it not 

 entirely possible that a certain degree of the capability of the 

 plent is already determined in this "plant packed and ready 

 for shipment". There may tie some correlation between the ex- 

 tent of the development of the seed and the capability of mak- 

 ing a large plant under proper circumstances after planting. 

 A young animal loses its power of response to proper food quite 

 early in life, as is common knowledge to stock men. It is en- 

 tirely concievable to the author that some measure of loss of 

 power to develop may be due to the same conditions, whatever 

 they are, that cause the development of a smaller endosperm. 



It becomes necessary to discover some other factor than 

 hereditary equipment on account of the variation of th<- weight 

 of kernels in the same spike, if their equipment be considered 

 the same, and this certainly is not shown to be extra food supply 



. 



by the experiments here recorded. 



