16 BULLETIN 754, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
error. While this difference could be expected as the result of 
chance once in 116 times, a more detailed examination of the mate- 
rial indicates that the difference observed for the totals is not thus 
to be explained. The four groups on Table IV are the reciprocals 
of the four groups on Table III. Thus the uppermost group on 
Table III is the reciprocal of the uppermost group on Table IV, ete. 
A comparison of the four groups on Table III with the corre- 
sponding four groups on Table IV reveals the fact that in every 
case the groups on Table III have a lower percentage of waxy seeds. 
The percentages and probable errors for the four reciprocal groups 
are shown in Table V. 
TasLteE V.—Inheritance of endosperm texture in the progeny of the two maize 
ears Nos. 1099 and 1111, by groups as shown in Table III and their recipro- 
cals as shown in Table IV. 
Percentage of waxy seeds. 
Progeny of— Nature of cross. aisle Wh ae ' D+~+E,. 
able eciproca . 
group. ORGEE. Difference. 
IDEN? INO; IE); acosoddoudoddsase WAS SS Gilsosacce 47.440. 89 51,640.47] 4.24 1 4.2 
= Me WR UNIO JU Lae Sree gees ers be Se do ee eee 50.44 .67 50.9+ .59 -o +£0.89 «5 
IDE ye ING HG) s gos oouadooceaseee OXEXGWAL ee 50.1+ .47 50.84 .51 694 . 69 1.0 
IBA NOS Ub See sspuadsseodcocd aoaes Chis enesececds 48.5+ .7 50.6+ .69 2.1 + .98 2.1 
POtaIS saya heces.scececs D.C s kee eee Lee 49.64 .31 50.64 .27 1.44 .41 3.9 
Taking each group by itself, the only significant difference is that 
observed between the WX X CH and the CH * WX group from ear 
No. 1099. In this case the difference is 4.2 times the probable error 
and should occur as the result of chance but once in 217 times. 
As above observed, however, the differences are uniform in that 
whenever the male parent is heterozygous for horny endosperm and 
the female parent homozygous for waxy endosperm the percentage of 
waxy seeds on the ears is lower than in the reciprocal group. This 
difference in reciprocals indicates a deficiency of effective male 
gametes bearing the waxy endosperm. This result could be brought 
about by a higher death rate for the gametes with the waxy char- 
acter, or a less vigorous growth of the pollen tubes of such gametes, 
or a failure of the plants to form the gametes in equal numbers. 
HORNY X SELF. 
As the result of self-pollinating plants grown from the horny seeds 
of ears Nos. 1099 and 1111, 28 ears were obtained. (Table IV, col- 
umns 10 to 15.) 
- The ears resulting from self-pollinating the plants grown from 
horny seeds show a remarkably close approximation to the expected 
25 per cent of waxy inheritance, the two individual ears that devi- 
