ON BREEDING EXPERIMENTS ON PLANTS. 267 



Breeding Experiments on Plants. — Heporl of Committee (Sir Daniel 

 Hall, K.C.B., F.E.S., Chairman; Mr. E. M. Marsden-Jones, 

 Secretary; Dr. K. B. Blackburn, Prof. K. R. Gates, Dr. W. B. 

 TuRRiLL, Mr. A. J. Wilmott) appointed to carry out breeding 

 experiments as part of an intensive study of certain species of the 

 British Flora. 



Research aided by the grant of £50 made at the 1928 meeting of the Association is 

 proceeding with British species of Silene, Centaurea, Saxifraga, Ranunculus and 

 Anthyllis. 



Silene. — ^Work is being extended in all directions and will take some seven or eight 

 years to complete, at least. A paper (the second of a series) has been published in the 

 Kew Bulletin, 1929, p. 33, and another (third of the series) has been sent to press. 



Centaurea. — A great deal of work is in hand and wiU take a good many years to 

 complete. It is hoped to write up the first paper at the end of this season's work. 

 Last year over 1,000 plants were scored in the breeding ground, and this year about 

 1,500 will be ready for scoring and describing. 



Saxifraga. — A preliminary account of genetical and cytological results has appeared 

 in Nature. A full account, illustrated, is nearly ready for press, and wUl be sent, 

 probably, to the Journal of Genetics as soon as the F3 generation plants have flowered 

 and have been scored. Tetraploidy and problems of species hybridization are chiefly 

 engaging attention. 



Ranunculus. — A preUminary abstract of cytological discoveries appeared in 

 Nature, March, 1929. A fuller paper, illustrated, was sent to the Journal of Oeneiics 

 in April. Work has to be continued on the genus for several more years. Problems 

 of sex and colour are chiefly engaging attention. 



Anthyllis, — Work is proceeding on colour inheritance and on snb-species hybridiza- 

 tion. 



Finance. ^ 



Grant £50. Up to date £17 17s. Qd. has been spent, entirely on wages for labour 

 connected with breeding work on the genera mentioned above. Vouchers for this 

 amount have been forwarded. 



Leave is requested to retain the unexpended balance to cover part of the expenses 

 connected with the carrjong on of the experiments over another year. These are in 

 full operation, and the expenditure on labour (for digging, moving, weeding, watering, 

 &c.) is increasing. 



