July 16, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



49 



conspicuous, and since all the previously 

 known types of endosjjerin are very wide- 

 spread, essentially coextensive in fact with 

 maize on the American Continent, it seemed 

 not improbable that the existence of waxy 

 endosperm in America had been overlooked. 



With the hope of discovering the origin of 

 this type of endosperm the collection of maize 

 varieties in the Office of Crop Acclimatization 

 was gone over with endosperm texture par- 

 ticularly in mind. The geographical distribu- 

 tion of the varieties examined was as follows; 

 Ijforth America, north of Mexico, 369 vari- 

 eties; Mexico, 152; Central America, 105; 

 West Indies, 9; South America, 378; Europe, 

 60; Asia, 78; Africa, 22; Islands of the 

 Pacific, 3. 



The results of this investigation were en- 

 tirely negative. The variety imported from 

 Shanghai was the only one in which waxy 

 endosperm was found. Not only was waxy 

 endosperm absent from the American conti- 

 nent, but it appeared to be confined to the one 

 locality in Asia. 



In 1915 Mr. H. 0. Jacobson was com- 

 missioned to make a special study of the dis- 

 tribution of the waxy type of maize in China. 

 He foimd it at Tanyang near Suchou and at 

 Taitsang, but in both of these localities it was 

 found to have been introduced from Liuho 

 near Shanghai. Mr. Jacobson's observations 

 are summarized in his report as follows: 



1. The distribution of fhe waxy corn is very lim- 

 ited. When found away from Liuho, the original 

 seed can be traced back to that community. Dr. 

 Farnham states he noted the white waxy variety 

 as Liuho fifty years ago. 



2. The reason for limited distribution is that but 

 little corn is grown in the immediate vicinity of 

 Liuho, because it is not as profitable as other 

 crops. Secondly, it is a poor yielder when com- 

 pared with the varieties grown about Nanking, 

 end, thirdly, it perhaps does not make as good 

 "grits" as the corneous sorts. 



3. I can not find any legend whatever. Among 

 the farmers it is known by the usual name applied 

 to maize and at Tfiitsfing, at least, no difference is 

 made between the waxy and non-waxy. 



4. Alt Tfiitsfing the non-waxy sort ia cultivated, 

 as well, and judging by tihe percentage of non- 



waxy seed ears saved, the waxy seed ears are very 

 much in the minority. 



No additional examples of this new type 

 of endosperm came to light until late in 1915 

 when a few waxy seeds were found in a 

 sample of maize collected for the Office of 

 Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction by Mr. 

 F. Kingston Ward in Upper Burma. 



Breeding experiments showed the endosperm 

 character from the two localities to be genetic- 

 ally identical. Independent origin seemed 

 very unlikely nor was it probable that seed 

 could have been imported from Shanghai into 

 this remote region of Upi)er Burma. It was 

 therefore assumed that although the sample 

 contained but few waxy seeds, there must be 

 somewhere in the Burma region, at least one 

 locality where waxy maize was the prevailing 

 type. 



This expectation has been fully realized, the 

 demonstration coming in the form of a col- 

 lection of maize varieties recently received by 

 the Office of Seed and Plant Introduction 

 from Mr. E. Thompstone, Deputy Director of 

 Agriculture, Worthem Circle, Burma. 



The collection consisted of 46 samples from 

 the ISTorthem and Southern Shan States and 

 the Pokokku Hill Tract, most of the varieties 

 with distinctive native names. Of the 46 

 samples twelve were found to have a horny 

 endosperm, 19 a waxy endosperm and 8 were 

 mixed. The remaining samples had been com- 

 pletely destroyed by insects. 



One of the lots from the Southern Shan 

 States consisted of eleven ears all of a uniform 

 dark blue color and all waxy. Another sample 

 consisted of 8 ears which were uniformly 

 white, blue or pink, all of them having a 

 waxy endosperm. 



The discovery of this unique character of 

 a plant of American origin in two isolated 

 localities of Asia makes it of interest to learn 

 something of the agricultural practises of the 

 people growing this type of maize. 



An excellent account of the various tribes 

 of Upper Burma is given by Scott.^ 



From this and other official accounts it 



1 Scott, J. G., "Gazetteer of Upper Burma and 

 the Shan States, ' ' 5 vols. Rangoon, 1901. 



