Mr Gompton, On Right- and Left- Handedness in Barley. 497 



(1) The ratios of lefts to rights found in the first leaves of 

 large groups of seedlings of different varieties. 



(2) The ratios obtained from individual spikes of seed. 



(3) The question whether the twist of the last leaf below 

 the spike has any effect on the twist of the seedlings produced 

 from the spike. 



(4) The question as to the effect of the position of a seed 

 in the spike on the twist of the seedling produced from it. 



(5) The question whether the twist of the first leaf is 

 inherited. 



I. The seeds of certain varieties of barley were sown in large 

 numbers in the ground or on wet canvas or blotting-paper, and 

 the seedlings were counted with a view to determining the ratio 

 of rights to lefts among the first leaves. The following are the 

 tabulated results : 



Table I. 



Variety of Barley 



Plumage Corn (pure line) . 

 Archer: Danish (pure line) 



Archer 



Chevalier: Kinver 



Chevalier: Prize Prolific... 



Goldthorpe (pure line) 



Goldthorpe : Guinness 



New Binder (pure line) ... 



Total... 



From the above table it is clear that there is a considerable 

 excess of left-handed over right-handed first leaves in large 

 groups of seedlings. Adding all the plants examined together, 

 we find that out of a total of 12,401 seedlings 58-36% had the 

 first leaf twisted in the left-handed fashion. The number of 

 seedlings e.xamined, and the constant occurrence of the excess of 

 lefts in all the varieties studied seem entirely to preclude the 

 assumption that this preponderance of lefts is fortuitous. 



The ratios obtained in different kinds of barley vary to some 

 extent. It appears probable that the difference between Plumage 

 Corn and Guinness' Goldthorpe, for example, is significant: it 

 seems to be outside the limits of probable error, when we con- 

 sider the number of plants counted — 4012 in Plumage Corn, 



