20 ORIGIN OF SEX. 
From what has been brought forward, it would appear as if 
' these sexual anomalies were the result of deficient nutrition, from 
` which resulted defective development and restrained evolution of 
the sexual organs. 
There were many stalks to be found, bearing male flowers (“ tas- 
sels”) alone in the normal position (terminal), apparently perfect 
males in size and development, but no stalks are to be found 
bearing a complete spike (ear) of perfect female flowers alone, 
even when terminal. Such spikes (ears) are always defective, 
often being but partially filled with grains, even when no male. 
flowers are present. 
The spike (ear) is only an undeveloped branch, sometimes 
having two or three internodes it is true, but it is generally 
sessile. 
When the ear is in the normal position, no matter how much 
the female flowers may prevail or how defective they are, the male 
flower always normally appears in the terminal part of the main 
stem or stalk. Not so with the wholly male plant, which has a 
tassel in the normal position (terminal) without a sign of a place ` 
for a female flower. 
When the ear (female spike) abnormally bears male flowers, 
they are usually terminal on the cob, though sometimes they may 
be on any other part of the ear, even a single male flower 
among the closely crowded grains (females). Mr. Scott, as al- 
ready mentioned, speaks of having found. even hermaphrodite 
flowers, which would naturally appear to be much more rare 
among dicecious plants than among the moneecious, for the latter _ 
condition would appear to stand between the aoe and the 
hermaphroditic. i 
Great numbers of corn plants bear male ARRA only, while . 
none are female alone, and wherever they approach the latter con- — 
dition, the spike (ear) of female flowers is terminal. ‘These exclu- a 
sively male plants are usually as large as if not indeed larger than 
the normal kind (monecious) and are certainly more rank and 
_ vigorous in their growth than those plants which bear principally 
female flowers on the terminal part of the plant, which latter, as 
I have already said,are much shorter, more: slender, and pale in 
color. 
The following table will indicate these differences. Fifty spec- 
