The Mendelian Inheritarm- of Ci-rtain Chemical Characters in Maize. n 



for by environmental differences or by differences in the handling or 

 treatment of the seed, but must be due entirely to inheritance. That 

 is to say, the chemical differences observed and recorded in these four 

 columns of the tables mentioned are determined by differences in 

 gametic constitution. 



Turning to the results in the Fa generation, we may say that in 

 general there is very plainly a segregation in the Mendelian 

 sense in respect to all the chemical characters under con- 

 sideration. In a general way it is evident that this segregation of 

 invisible chemical characters appears to follow or be associated with 

 the segregation of the group of characters which together determine 

 the class of the grain. That is to say, the yellow and white starchy 

 kernels in Fg are on the whole alike in respect to chemical composition 

 and different from the yellow and white sweet Fo kernels. When a 

 detailed examination is made, however, it is apparent that this simi- 

 larity in chemical composition of starchy (or sweet) kernels among 

 themselves is not complete. In other words, the tables suggest that 

 the invisible chemical characters are inherited in certain cases at least, 

 as definite unit characters not dependent either on other invisible 

 characters or on the visible characters which determine the place of 

 the grains in the general categories which head the table. This matter 

 will be considered in detail in a later section. Each chemical character 

 taken account of in the analysis may now be discussed separately. 



Moisture. The tables show that the F, kernels of all classes had 

 a higher moisture content than the corresponding parent or Fj classes. 

 This difference is more marked in the case of the starchy than in 

 the case of fhe sweet kernels. Thus, the yellow and white starchy 

 grains in Fa are roughly 2 percent higher in moisture content than 

 the original yellow dent parent. The difference between the yellow 

 and white sweet Fo kernels and the original sweet parent is distinctly 

 less marked, both absolutely and relatively. The F.^ yellow and white 

 starchy kernels are roughly about one percent higher in moisture 

 content than the Fj grains. 



The differences between the different classes of Fo progeny kernels 

 in respect to moisture content are noteworthy, when one remembers 

 that all of these kernels were borne upon the same ear and subjected 

 to exactly the same conditions of maturity and drying. The starchy 

 kernels are roughly 2 percent higher in water content than the sweet 

 kernels borne upon the same ears. This means that with an equal 



