Show T LAST AST week Miss Annie Sessions presented presented presented pre pre- the botanical museum with an abnormal ear of corn or rather a collection of ears This curiosity evidently evidently evidently evi evi- dently grew on the top of the corn stalk where the tassel usually appears and twelve of the branches of the tassel developed into ears of corn all of these ears being united united at the base The specimen is a fine one and is interesting interesting interesting interest interest- ing not only because of its rarity but because it gives us a hint hin t as to the ancestral ancestral ancestral an- an form of corn Our Indian corn belongs to the grass S lL il family and is related to wheat oats barley and rye All of these plants as asis asis asis is well known have the stamens and pistils in the same blossoms and it is most probable that this was the original condition of corn Drifting away from the original form corn now produces the flower on the side of the stalk and the staminate flower on top These are respectively known as the ear and the tassel In the case under consideration there is a return to the original form The staminate and flowers again grow together and seed is produced by flowers which are usually sterile From the fact that perfect flowers are more frequently found on the tassel than on the ear as well as from considerations based upon uron the relationship of corn to to the grains and grasses it is reasonable to infer that perfect flowers on the tassel was the original form of corn Occasionally the kernels which grow glow on the tassel are each enclosed in a separate husk This may possibly in indicate indicate indicate in- in that originally the grains of corn were separate as the grains of wheat and oats are at the present time Observation shows that abnormal growths of corn com are stimulated by a wet summer following a dry spring ti i j C. C A A. Whiting |