Page:The Journal of Indian Botany.djvu/146

116 examined as regards their general condition, height, branching, dwarf-shoots, etc., by L. Ram Lai Sethi, M.Sc, Demonstrator of Botany at the Government College. As he had to leave for Europe immediately after the completion of these observations the writer looked up the literature and prepared the analysis. The seedlings were about four years of age and varied in height from 11 inches to 22 inches. All the plants had been kept under the same conditions along with many others.

As is well known young seedlings bear only scattered green leaves and scale-leaves and dwarf-shoots are developed only gradually. Of the 101 seedlings one did not possess any dwarf-shoots at all and was unbranched. Otherwise the plant was erect and healthy so far as could be seen. No further notice will be taken of this plant. All the remaining one hundred possessed dwarf-shoots and a great many possessed long shoots in addition. No plants were found with abnormal shoots only, but normal and abnormal shoots were mixed in more than one half, 57 per cent, to be exact. The abnormal number of needles was 2, 4 or 5. No spur was found with 1 or more than 5 needles. The analysis is given below:—
 * Plants examined : 100. All with dwarf-shoots.
 * Plants with 3-leaved shoots only 43
 * Plants with abnormal shoots in addition to 3-leaved shoots 57
 * Plants with 2-leaved abnormal shoots only 2
 * Do. 4-leaved abnormal shoots only 40
 * Do. 5-leaved abnormal shoots only 2
 * Do. 2-and 4-leaved abnormal shoots 6 V 57
 * Do. 2-and 5-leaved abnormal shoots
 * Do. 4-and 5-leaved abnormal shoots 3
 * Do. 2 — 4-and 5-leaved abnormal shoots 4 i

It will bo seen from the above that plants with 4-leaved abnormal shoots only are by far the most common. If we add to these the plants that bear 4-leaved shoots in addition to other abnormal shoots the number becomes still larger, i.e., 53. The relative number of shoots is given below:—
 * Plants examined : 100 as above, of which 57 possessed abnormal shoots.
 * 2-Ieaved shoots in all the plants 17
 * 4-leaved shoots in all the plants 145
 * 5-leaved shoots in all the plants 11

It is clear that the 4-leaved shoots are by far the most common of all the abnormal shoots. It may be mentioned here that the number of 3-leaved shoots on these plants was very variable. It ranged from a few to about 300 on each plant.