Jxrwrry 19, 1969

Dr.  William L. Brown
i?ioneer Hi-Bred Corn Company
1206 Mulberry Street
Bes Moines, Iowa 50308

Dear Bill,

   I am enclosing two letters recently received.   The one
from Painter is most important.  The first paragrayh of his
letter gives measurements of DNA oontent in three strains of
maize.   The measLxements were taken at the pachytene stage of
meiosis.   Xonteiro's work indic::tcd the manner in w:Ach knobs
Increased the XX& coiltent.   The amount of increase is
astounding, though, 3s srzown by 2aLiter.   kavan is going to
iiust n,  Texas, an3 he is taking: soi:ie young studnetn from Brazil
,tiith him.   Blumenschein wrote me stating that Pavan h;id beco::le
very much interested in the knobs of maize and iJ:Anted su,.,gestions
of a problem for one of his studenti.   I have suggested that
the 3Lr co!Aect of the nuclei of different types of cells be
measured  cytophotometrically.    It is obvious tht the knobs
are not acting in the same manner in different cells and I suspect
this is relrtted to differ<.-rices ii! the 35:~ CDriI.ellt or' ti:ese cells.

    The sec=ond letter is from Ellis Bolton.   He w.as on wcation
when your seed arrived h;:re.   Gonue:luently,  X held the seed
until aftc:sr I had returned from a .tieek at lialeigh,   'The seed NW
m:liled to Bolton the day sCter I returned here --January 10.
I sure hope th.?t the  knobs wiZ1 h::%ve a G-C content tiz-it will allow
identification of their DXA.   If so, -we are on our way to
an 3:jpreci:ition of wllat they may be accomplishing.   Aver  sine e I
first saw a krlob I ha,\!e w:inted to know this!

   You wi.11 get a report by phone on my trip to Raleigh.
The study of chrol.ioso:rle morpholoa and of knobs in Zripsacum is
going; to be -is inform::tive as the mai::e study.   'i`he'*e will need to
be so:nc ch;.~wes in mode of att:?ck if proigre..:k; is 7;~ be made.
I have talked a:;ain to Roberts :'ind he hc~s t::lked to ~~ellhwsen.
Piore by phone, hodever.

Regards,

Barbara Kc Cl in to ck .

2.2. Karcus Rhoades h:id a heart attack at Christmas time.   He is
still in the hospital but -wza holding his own, the last time I heard.