10 BULLETIN 1011, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The use of the term "good development" in Table II is entirely 

 relative; in no instance were the plumules and roots from the sections 

 equal in growth and vigor to those from the entire seeds. The 

 coleoptiles and first leaves had a torn and ragged appearance, as a 

 result of the mutilation of the seeds. There was no development of 

 the plumule from the crown sections, but in some there were indica- 

 tions of growth or viability in the plumule tips contained in these 

 sections, there was a slight swelling of the tissues and a tendency to 

 turn yellowish green in color. This attempt to grow could not, or at 

 least did not, persist long enough to lead to any development of the 

 plumule or to show any tendency toward a regeneration of the roots. 



Similarly, in the tip sections that showed no plumule but a fair 

 development of the root system there did not appear to be any 

 tendency toward a regeneration of the plumule. In the longitudinal 

 sectioning of the seeds, portions of the plumule and of the radicle 

 were left in each section. In the laboratory 45 seedlings showing 

 plumule and root development were obtained from 38 seeds sectioned 

 longitudinally in one variety and 55 seedlings showing plumule and 

 root development from 33 seeds in another variety. This is not 

 brought out in Table II, as the percentages are based on the total 

 number of sections and not on the total number of seeds. 



GROWTH AND SEED PRODUCTION OF THE MUTILATED GERMS. 



Two varieties were used in the field experiments, United States 

 Selection No. 182, a white dent variety, requiring about 130 to 140 

 days to ripen, and United States Selection No. 193, a yellow flint 

 variety, requiring about 110 to 120 days to ripen. On May 12 entire 

 kernels, longitudinal sections, cross sections, and kernels out of 

 which the germs had been cut and then replaced in the same kernels 

 were sown at the Arlington Experimental Farm, Rosslyn, Va. The 

 injured classes were sown thickly, 15 to 20 sections to a hill. The 

 crown and tip portions of the cross sections were not separated, but 

 in view of the results obtained in the laboratory it seems certain that 

 the plants in this class grew from the tip portions. The data obtained 

 on the field experiments are shown in Table III. 



In United States Selection No. 182 the plants from the longitudinal 

 half -sections were slightly higher in average production to the 

 plant, weight of ear, and number of ears to the plant than the plants 

 grown from the entire seeds; the plants from the other two classes 

 of injured seed were inferior to those from entire seeds. The plants 

 from the cross sections were the least thrifty and were lowest in 

 productiveness, weight of ear, and number of, ears to the plant. 



