The Inheritance of Quantitative Characters in Maize 71 
It will not lessen the value of the indications noted above to 
call attention to the fact that the inherent differences between the 
F 3 fraternities were exaggerated somewhat by a peculiar com- 
bination of weather conditions with characters of the plants 
other than size. It happens that Tom Thumb pop is not only 
small but also extremely early and that Missouri dent is very 
late as well as large. Now as will be shown later (see Table 39) , 
earliness segregates as does size. Whether thru genetic correla- 
tion or not, it happened that the short F 3 families were also 
early and the tall families late. The weather of early summer 
Iptts* /7s* /j/^ (pr '/$$* 
Fig. 17. Height of plants of two F, families of Tom Thumb X Missouri 
dent, as grown in 1911. — Note difference in variability. 
when the early families were developing rapidly was very un- 
favorable for growth while the weather late in summer when 
the late families were making their most rapid growth was 
very favorable. The early families were, therefore, shorter and 
the late families taller than they would have been had the con- 
ditions been more uniform thruont the season. This effect of 
the weather is readily seen by noting the various F 3 fraternities 
and the sizes of the F 2 plants from which they were grown. In 
case of each F 3 family the size class to which the F 2 parent plant 
belonged is indicated by Mackfaced figures in the F, array. The 
