12 BULLETIN 925, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



which these features might prove to be of paramount value. It is 

 hard to conceive of brachytic plants breaking down or lodging 

 either when exposed to severe winds or when grown in soil that be- 

 comes very soft when wet. 



While it may not be worth while to consider the substitution of 

 brachytic varieties for the ordinary varieties in situations where the 

 latter do well, there are many situations in which the normal height 

 of the maize plant and its tendency to lodge in soft ground or wilt 

 down in drying winds place it at a decided disadvantage. For such 

 situations it would seem to be worth while to select progenies in 

 which this brachytic character is combined with other characters 

 adapted to the region. 



In addition to these two very obvious advantages there is another 

 which might be fully as important in certain dry-land situations. 

 This latter advantage lies in the fact that because of the shortened 

 internodes more nodes are in contact with the soil and develop roots. 



With the exception of the Navajo or Hopi type oi maize the roots 

 which appear at germination serve only to establish the young seed- 

 ling. Subsequent growth and development depend upon the roots 

 produced from nodes. In most varieties of maize grown under com- 

 mon cultural methods, from four to eight nodes remain in contact 

 with the ground and produce roots. The uppermost node which pro- 

 duces roots is usually somewhat above the surface of the soil. At 

 this node in the Boone County White variety the number of primary 

 roots is about 20. The young roots are covered with a sticky, trans- 

 parent gelatinous substance which affords protection from the dry 

 atmosphere and permits them to reach the soil from a height of about 

 10 cm. Maize plants are capable of producing roots at practically 

 every node below the ear and possibly even above the ear, provided 

 these nodes are brought in contact with the ground or otherwise kept 

 abnormally moist. Some tropical varieties have been observed with 

 roots at 15 nodes above the surface of the ground, and these roots have 

 attained a length of 8 or 10 cm. before finally drying. The highly 

 specialized commercial varieties have not lost their ability to produce 

 roots from the upper nodes, and within 24 hours after lodging such 

 plants will be found to have started roots from all nodes which are in 

 contact with the ground. 



In brachytic plants the reduction in the length of the internodes 

 results in more nodes coming in contact with the ground, thereby in- 

 creasing the production of roots. If it were found to be desirable, the 

 root-producing nodes could be increased as much as 40 per cent over 

 the common dent varieties by a proper system of culture, and even 

 greater increases are possible by listing, a practice much in vogue in 

 certain sections of the West. The possibilities in this respect are 



