No. 546] INFLUENCE OF STARVATION 



starvation and the other to feeding. Both ancestral and 

 comparison series allow of two kinds of comparisons, 

 intra-ramal and inter-ramal. 



In the first case the comparisons will be made within the 

 same branch of the dichotomons system, i. e., the off- 

 spring of the starved parents and starved grandparents 

 will be compared with plants whose parents only were 

 starved, both parents and grandparents being in the 

 direct line of descent. 12 



In these tests the individuals grown on the comparison 

 field bear to each other the relationship of "aunts" and 

 "nieces." Such comparisons are possible where the seed 

 retains its vitality for a number of years. They are 

 open to criticism unless it be known that the age of the 

 seed has no influence upon the characteristics of the 

 plants developing from them. 13 



In the second class, the inter-ramal, are those compar- 

 isons between points on different branches of the dichoto- 

 mous scheme. Here two subclasses may be recognized. 

 In the one the comparisons are between strictly homolo- 

 gous points on the starved branch and on the well-fed 

 branch. The effect of one generation's starvation will 

 be compared with the effect of one generation's feeding. 

 In this case comparisons will be made between "first" 

 and "first" cousins. Or Mendelianwise, all individuals 

 compared will be F„ F 2 or F„. Such comparisons will 

 be called direct inter-ramal comparisoi 



In the second subclass. 



between different points on the two branches; all com- 



rell fed. This is not (1 

 hat the well fed series 

 arable with the extrem 

 nents. If they were n< 



