August 30, 1965

Dr.  Almsro 3lulnunscimi1l
Instituto de Genetica
UniversidaJe clc Sao Paul0
Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL

i)ear Almero:

   I was much interested in your letter of July 19 describing
some of your recent cytological findings in certain South Ameri-
can maize.

    Most people, including myself who have worked with South
American maize, have ideas relative to the origin and relation-
ships of many of the described races,  It seems to me, however,
that tne important thing to do is to continue to accumulate facts
just as you are now doing, and keep our tentative notions as to
relationships in the background until all the facts are in. I
have a feeling your cytological data will, in the end, tend to
support r;ther than refute the mote critical morphological find-
ings, yet I would not be surprised to find these to disagree
violently with some of the anthropological hypotheses regarding
cultural migration.

   As to the interlocked soft corns of Western Brazil, it is
not surpirsing to me that you are finding their knob constitution
to be similar to "Andean" races.  You will recall that both
Cororico and Ena 0 of Bolivia,
    a       although concentrated at 100 to
150 meters        , possessed typical "Andean" knobs, and I
have always%ssumod your interlocked soft corns were very close
to Cororico or something like it.  Hhile Enano may appear to be
quite a different thing, I expect it has played a role in the
evolution of Cororico.

   I do not know much about "Lenha" but except for kernel tex-
turc, I have felt it to be not unlike some varieties which, until
a few years ago, were rather wide spread along the Southern edge
of the U.S. Corn Belt.  Have you any historical records of intro-
ducations into Southern Brazil from this part of North America?


Page 2 (Continued)

Dr. Almero Blumenschcin
Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL

August 30, 1965

   It is my hope that you will be able to make a careful col-
lection in the Cuianas.  Most of the stuff now available from
there comes from the Coast, and is not very exciting, but it
would be most interesting, I think, to know what is in the
interior,  I am not unaware of the difficulty of getting there,
even in these modern times.

    Goodman must have been with you for some weeks now.   I am
most anxious to know how he is coming on.
   Thanks again for your letter which was greatly appreciated,

    With very best wishes.

Sincerely,

sjk

cc:  Dr. Barbara McClintock
   Long Island, New York