The Inheritance of a Somatic Variation in Maize 7 
rather commonly variegated. In a few freak ears the red 
side of the ear is enclosed in reddish husks, the remainder 
of the husks being light striped. Eed-eared plants aris- 
ing as seed-sports always have solid red cobs and usually 
solid reddish husks. 
The first account, so far as I am aware, of the inherit- 
ance of the striking somatic variations so commonly found 
in variegated plants was given by de Vries 2 in his dis- 
cussion of ever-sporting varieties. The study was made 
in the years from 1892 to 1896 with a variety of Antir- 
rhinum with striped flowers. De Vries 's records are re- 
produced diagrammatically in Fig. 1. 
Pi Striped 
plant 
i 1 . 
Fi Striped Red 
plants plants 
90% 10% 
i ' I r- 1 —! 
F 2 Striped Red Striped Red 
plants plants plants plants 
98% 2% 24% 76% 
i i 
Striped Red 
branches branches 
F 3 Striped Red Striped Red 
plants plants plants plants 
98% 2% 29% 71% 
i ' I .— "-i 
F< Striped Red Striped Red 
plants plants plants plants 
95% 5% 16% 84% 
Fig. 1. Diagram from de Vries's Records Showing the Inheritance of 
Variegation and Self-red in the Flowers of Antirrhinum. 
Of these results de Vries says : 
From these figures it is manifest that the red and striped types differ 
from one another not only in their visible attributes, but also in the 
degree of their heredity. The striped individuals repeat their peculiarity 
in 90-98 per cent, of their progeny, 2-10 per cent, sporting into the uni- 
2 Vries, Hugo de, " Species and Varieties/ ' pp. 309-328 (1905). 
