118 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
Papilionaceae. The author believes that certain of the mycotropic forms are 
limited to acid soils because of the use, through the help of their mycorrhiza, of 
organic nitrogen compounds, and these are most abundant in absence of lime. 
M. CROCKER. 
Hybrids of maize.—Coritns® makes a contribution to the genetics of 
maize by reporting results from his studies of hybrids between pod corn and a 
type discovered by Dr. W. B. GERNERT, in which the pistillate inflorescence is 
replaced by a compound inflorescence branched as is ordinarily the case with 
the tassel. 
In his experiments the progeny of ordinary tunicata plants has always 
consisted of approximately 3 tunicates to 1 normal. In other words, the usual 
tunicate ear is a heterozygous dominant. The homozygous dominant is 
apparently a type which makes up about one-third of the total number of 
tunicate plants and is characterized by greatly enlarged tassels containing 
both staminate and pistillate flowers, and the ear either with enlarged sterile 
— or wanting. Zea ramosa, on the other hand, is recessive to normal. 
Nn 1914 a cross was made between half-tunicate (heterozygous) ¢ and 
Zea ramosa 2. Of g first generation plants, 4 were tunicate and 5 normal, 
the tunicate ears being “‘half-tunicate”’ and showing no trace of ramosa char- 
acters. From 2 selfed F, non-tunicate ears 85 plants were raised, of which 65 
were normal and 17 ramosa. From 3 selfed F; half-tunicate ears 326 plants 
matured. Among the tunicata plants of this lot there were both tunicata and 
ramosa tassels, and in the latter a new type appeared which had indeterminately 
branched inflorescences embryonic in nature. This peculiar type (term 
cauliflower) occurred in both lateral and terminal inflorescences, although more 
common in the former. A simple Mendelian interpretation of these results is 
given.—E. M. East. 
A New Zealand biological station—Canterbury College has recently 
set apart a tract of land in the mountainous center of South Island, New Zea- 
land, and provided it with buildings suitable for a biological station. It is 
situated at an altitude of 1850 ft. on the Cass River and is surrounded by 
mountains, some of which are over 5000 ft. high. Descriptions of its situa- 
tion,” its physiography,” and its vegetation** seem to show that it is well suited 
to the purpose for which it was intended. The vegetation displays a wide 
* Cottins, G. N., Hybrids of Zea ramosa and Z. tunicata. Jour. Agric. Research 
9:383-395. pis. 13-27. 
‘*?Cuitton, Cuas., Introduction and general description of station. Trans. 
New Zealand Inst. 47:331-335. 1915. 
* Speicut, R., The physiography of the Cass district. bid. 48:145—-153- 1916. 
** COCKAYNE, L., The principal plant associations in the immediate vicinity of the 
station. Ibid. 48:166-186. 1916. 
