24 
BULLETIN 925, TL S. DEPAETAEENT OE AGEICULTUEE. 
the appearance of the staminate spike was variable and not well differ- 
entiated from normal ears. 
Table V. — Measurements of tlie first and second generation plants of a hybrid 
between brachytic an-d Eopi. 
Dh 438F, 
Character. 
Dh 43SFl 
Xormal. Brachvtic. Differenct 
Height of plant decimeters. . 
Length of longest tassel branch centimeters. . 
Length of branching space . do 
Length of central spike do 
Number of leaves: 
Above the upper ear 
TotaL 
Longest leaf: 
Length centimeters. . 
Width do.... 
Number of tassel branches 
Ear length: 
Upper ear centimeters . . 
Total a do.... 
Number of rows on upper ear 
Length of staminate spite centimeters. . 
25.9±0.28 
28. 8±0. 62 
14. 7± 0.33 
32. 6±0. 60 
4. 1±0. 07 
19. 4±0. 17 
90. 5± 1.15 
8. 7±0. 14 
29. 8±a 98 
19. 9±0. 47 
21. 9± 0.78 
18.8±0.22 
23. 1 ±0. 28 
12.2 ±0.14 
12. 5 ±0. 27 
29.1 ±0.35 
23.0 ±0.40 
28. 9 ±0. 70 
10.2 ±0.23 
5.1 ±0.25 
10. 4 ±0. 35 
31.3 ±0.87 
22. 7 ±0. 56 
22.1 ±1.10 
94.6 ±0.72 91.5 ±0.87 
8.6 ±0.09 8.7 ±0.16 
3. 79±0. 05 1. 50±0. 31 
16.9 ±0.31 
20. ±0. 53 
16.6 ±0.20 
6 2. 3 
10. 1 ±0. 67 
21.7 ±1.2 
15. 2 ±0. 39 
12.3 ±1.5 
12.9 ±0.36 
7-1 ±0.29 
2.1 ±0.44 
2.2 ±0.94 
0. 3 ±0. 69 
6.8 ±1.30 
3.1 ±1.14 
0. 1 ±0. 18 
2.29±0.31 
6.8 ±0.74 
1.7 ±0.56 
1.4 ±0.44 
10.0 
a The total ear length includes only the length of the pistillate portion on those ears which developed 
staminate spikes. 
6 Only three plants. 
The brachvtic plants of the Hopi hybrid also differed from the 
brachytic segregates of other hybrids in that the ears were borne in 
the axils of the uppermost leaves, or in extreme cases appeared as the 
lowest branches of the terminal inflorescences. This tendency to 
have ears at the base of the tassel is one which has been observed 
often in plants of the Chinese waxy variety and also in hybrids in- 
volving this type. (PI. XV11.) Its appearance, therefore, in the 
brachytic-Hopi hybrid is not to be attributed to the same genetic- 
change which caused the reduction in length of internode on the 
culm, although its expression in this hybrid was confined to brachytic 
plants. 
Like, most variations in maize, this tendency is inherited. Seven 
plants were grown from a self-pollinated ear of a Chinese plant 
which had produced ears at the base of the tassel. All seven of these 
plants showed evidence of this trait. On three of these plants the 
only symptom was a cluster of bracts at the base of the tassel: one 
plant, in addition to these bracts, had scattered pistillate spikelets on 
the lower tassel branches: another plant similar to the parent de- 
veloped an ear at the base of the tassel; while the two remaining 
plants both had ears borne in the normal position, but terminating in 
staminate spikes. 
The character is expressed in a variety of forms, sometimes ap- 
pearing simply as a group of pistillate spikelets at the base of an 
otherwise normal staminate branch, and at other times well-formed 
ears with regular rows and not much smaller than those borne in the 
