98 White. 



same value whether from the same plant or generation or different 

 plants in different generations. The tent- grown plants in Connecticut 

 had a higher average number of leaves than the plants of the 1910 

 culture at the Bussey Institution. 1911 was an especially favorable 

 year for fasciations. After transplantations in June, a drouth ensued 

 through which the plants barely lived. July followed with much rain 

 and excessive heat. 1912 was a fair year for field cultures. A June 

 drouth was followed by rain in July, but the change was not so abrupt 

 nor so extreme as in 1911. 



From the table, it is apparent that this race shows very decided 

 variation in the number of leaves in the different families, and if I am 

 correct in considering the variability as not due to a mixed population, 

 the only other alternative is to admit the effect of environment. And 

 yet environment does not affect the expression of this character in 

 Nicotiana to the degree claimed by de Vries for his fasciated races. 

 In all my field cultures and those reported by Mr. Dewey and Dr. 

 East (aggregating 694 plants grown over a period of five years in 

 four distinct environments) the fasciated character has bred very true 

 in the sense that its somatic expression always showed to some extent 

 in the stem, in leaf number, in the character of the inflorescence and 

 the floral organs, and that this development never fluctuated toward 

 the normal sufficiently to make classification even remotely questionable. 

 No so-called atavists have appeared at any time. 



Another experiment was inaugurated in the winter of 1912 to test 

 further the constancy of the fasciated character under different environ- 

 ments. Cultures of normal and abnormal plants were started in February 

 by sowing seed of these strains in ordinary sterilized soil. Germination 

 was excellent, and the young plants were kept in their seed quarters 

 for about four months. No additional food was supplied them, and a 

 struggle for existence ensued. As a consequence, the survivors do not 

 represent more than one tenth of each original "pot" society. From 

 these 5 "08 and 10*16 cm. pots (orig. seed quarters) the survivors were 

 removed, with all of their soil, to 15*2 cm. pots and fed once a week 

 with a solution made up as follows: 



2 pt. superphosphate 



1 pt. sulphate of ammonia 



1 pt. potash 



1 teaspoonful to 7*57 litres of water. 



