12 BULLETIN 925, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
which these features might prove to be of paramount value. It is 
hard to conceive of brachytic plants breaking down or lodging 
either when exposed to severe winds or when grown in soil that be- 
comes very soft when wet. 
While it may not be worth while to consider the substitution of 
brachytic varieties for the ordinary varieties in situations where the 
latter do well, there are many situations in which the normal height 
of the maize plant and its tendency to lodge in soft ground or wilt 
down in drying winds place it at a decided disadvantage. For such 
situations it would seem to be worth while to select progenies in 
which this brachytic character is combined with other characters 
adapted to the region. 
In addition to these two very obvious advantages there is another 
which might be fully as important in certain dry-land situations. 
This latter advantage lies in the fact that because of the shortened 
internodes more nodes are in contact with the soil and develop roots. 
With the exception of the Navajo or Hopi type of maize the roots 
which appear at germination serve only to establish the young seed- 
ling. Subsequent growth and development depend upon the roots 
produced from nodes. In most varieties of maize grown under com- 
mon cultural methods, from four to eight nodes remain in contact 
with the' ground and produce roots. The uppermost node which pro- 
duces roots is usually somewhat above the surface of the soil. At 
this node in the Boone County White variety the number of primary 
roots is about 20. The young roots are covered with a sticky, trans- 
parent gelatinous substance which affords protection from the dry 
atmosphere and permits them to reach the soil from a height of about 
10 cm. Maize plants are capable of producing roots at practically 
every node below the ear and possibly even above the ear. provided 
these nodes are brought in contact with the ground or otherwise kept 
abnormally moist. Some tropical varieties have been observed with 
roots at 15 nodes above the surface of the ground, and these roots have 
attained a length of 8 or 10 cm. before finally drying. The highly 
specialized commercial varieties have not lost their ability to produce 
roots from the upper nodes, and within 21 hours after lodging such 
plants will be found to have started roots from all nodes which are in 
contact with the ground. 
In brachytic plants the reduction in the length of the internodes 
results in more nodes coming in contact with the ground, thereby in- 
creasing the production of roots. If it were found to be desirable, the 
root-producing nodes could be increased as much as 40 per cent over 
the common dent varieties by a proper system of culture, and even 
greater increases are possible by listing, a practice much in vogue in 
certain sections of the West. The possibilities in this respect are 
