FLAX RESEARCH

PROGRESS MADE

VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

The Flax Research , Committee of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research met recently and received a progress report from Dr. J. S. Yeates, who is in charge of the scientific investigations now being made in the question of cultivating phorniiuiu ten ax. Recent work has consisted chiefly in planting out seedlings and in cultivation of the trial plots. Manurial experiments foi' the control of yellow-leaf have also been carried out. The present summer is to be spent chiefly in carrying out observations and experiments on the pollination of flax. Some results of interest. are- already indicated by tho seedling plants which have been grown. Two varieties of white butted flax, each gi,ve a mixture of white butted and red-butted 'seedlings in about equal numbers. Commenting on this, Dr. Yeates reports:— "Seed of several brown or purplish varieties has been grown, and in every case gives rise to' a mixture of bronze and green seedlings. The most important of these varieties is ; the 'Ngaro' our variety No. 152. The breeding and behaviour of these varieties suggested that chromosome behaviour might" be involved. This was found to be so. Ao. 102 and 32 chromosomes in each cell, whereas all other varieties of flax so far examined have 24. These chromosomes arc believed to determine the characters of a plant, and their inheritance. _ It is to be expected also that cells containing 32 chromosomes will be one-third larger than cells containing only 24 chromosomes. -The'ultimate nbres, which are cells; ought, therefore to be much larger in this variety. ' "The possession of a distinct number ot chromosomes renders it highly improbable: that variety 152 has arioen as a hybrid between ordinary flax varieties. It indicates also that, crossing between this and other varieties if possible, will be followed by irregular behaviour of the hybrids. , The various possibilities .suggested "by- this different chromosome-: number are -beine carefully studied^" :■ ?.\; v . ■

T, he, "Ngaro" ; plant, it was stated, probably arose its a "sport."