The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-06-25

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I and as the questions are fundamental
[ shall treat them at some length.
You ask first: Whether the pollen
from a barren corn plant, when per
mitted to fertilize another plant VIII
produce other barren plants as a re-
suit Of such fertilization.
And second: rs there a practical
| remedy, and if so, how %applied?'
There are two ways in which we
may reach conclusions. The first by
following a certain line OF reasoning
the second by actual experience, ana
in answering these questions VIII
avail myself of the former FOR III so
doing | believe I can make myseil
understood.
In answering the first question we
should bear in mind that the sprout
in the kernel Of the corn is a full ana
complete corn plant in embryo. III
has it's root system, its joint system
il leaf formation, its cob formation,
system and all other functions found
in a full grown plant, with one SIN
gle execution. and that is the placing
of the kernels on the cob. These ker-
nels can never appear there except
through some outside agency, such as
where pollen is introduced to the ker'
mel cell, taken either from the plant
that contains the cell or some other
plant, and as o as ~pollenation takes
place another plant will begin to ma
teralize within the new kernel. This
plant will contain characteristics OF
the plant of which it is a part. Should
the plant be what is commonly termed
a barren plant, this characteristic
may be transmitted. Should any OF
the organs of the plant have a ten
dency to organic weakness. this ten
dency may be transmitted. A plant
growing unusually tall after having
been grown in any locality for a per
iod of years, carrying the ears high on
the stalk, or one growing a shorter
stalk carrying the ear lower down,
are each characteristics that may be
transmitted.
In answer to your second question:
is there a practical remedy, and if so,
how applied?" 1t will be observed
that we nave conceded in answer to
the first question that good and bad
qualities alike may be transmitted.
In order to answer the second
question we should know just what
has been transmitted, whether it be
an organic disorder effecting the en-
tire organism Of the plant, OF wheth-
er it is a weakness or a tendency to a
weakness in any of the various or
take to be one that does not pro-
duce an ear of corn irrespective of the
cause.
Now to put the matter more direct
ly, let us take three corn plants, full
grown, and see, what We may see.
First we have a plant that has pro-
duced one ear of corn; second we see
this ear of corn has grown from one
of the concave joints on the stalk;
third we find six other joints on the
stalk in appearance just like the one
that contained the ear of corn; we
count the joints on this and other
plants and find that there are from )
to I of these joints on the stalks count
ed, and in appearance they are all
the same and on this particular stalk
there are seven of these joints, one
which has produced an ear of corn
and six that have not, on one of the
other of these three stalks we find
tlve joints two of which have produc-
ed an ear of corn and three that have
not. The other stalk we find con
tains seven joints, non of which pro-
duced an ear of corn. Now, none of
these ear organs in any of these
joints, require to be pollenated to
produce a cob with kernel cells on
it, yet we see a few do produce such
a cob but many do not, hence we con-
clude that what has been transmitted
is: First, a joint dead or incapable of
producing an ear of corr or, second,
a weakness in one of the functions
of the organs rendering it incapable
of performing its functions under GER
tain adverse conditions. Now let us
go back and take another look at
the other three stalks already mention
ed and see what we may find. In the
stalk containing one ear we find the
ear has grown from either the upper
joint or from the next one below it.
We break down the leaves which have
grown from The joints that have not
produced an ear and see In each one
some growth towards ear formation
has been made. The smallest growth
Il, tho louar ono and tho yraotaCf ;n