I. FOREWORD

Found: An empty manila folder marked "K linkage." A set of all available copies of the News Letter will be awarded to the first person who locates the recombination data.

Your "Secretary" this year edited less extensively the communications submitted by Cooperators, in keeping with the intent of informality (see inside the back cover of volume 51, 1977). The quantity of material submitted was nearly half again as much as in the preceding year; only because of reduction-photocopying of most of the tables and figures is the size within that of previous issues.

Over 680 copies of this volume are being sent to research workers, laboratories and libraries around the world. The costs of preparation, reproduction and mailing of this News Letter are borne by a grant from the National Science Foundation, indispensable support for which we are all grateful. The year-round office workload for the News Letter is lightened by the encouragement and support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; facilities are provided by the University of Missouri.

Our symbolization system continues to have some difficult flaws, despite 55 years of attention (see letter of R. A. Emerson, March 7, 1923, reproduced on page 146 of this issue). We should consider reinstating numeral one for the first locus of a series (see MNL 49:3, Recommendation 2). At least as much confusion arises now from dropping the one as previously arose from ell/one confusion. Opinions?

Rough Cytogenetic Working Maps with reference data (pp. 129-145) have been derived from materials sent in by cooperators; additional data and suggestions are earnestly requested.

Some materials are still needed for our "archival" files; please see p. 146 and check your attic.

If the Symbol Index, new in this issue, is helpful, please let me know. Suggestions would be welcome.

Publications of interest: Corn and Corn Improvement, 2d edition, edited by G. F. Sprague, has been published by the American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin. Discussions in Cytogenetics has been reprinted; see the note from C. R. Burnham in the Minnesota section.

A microfilm of volumes 1-29 and 33 is available for $9.50 U.S.; checks should be made out to E. H. Coe, Jr.

Airmail service to addresses outside the U.S. is expensive; we will send the next issue to you by air if we receive $3.00 from you by January 1, 1979.

Deadline for the next issue is January 1, 1979; see inside the back cover for notes on the format for contributed items, and notes for the typist.

I wish to thank M. G. Neuffer for help in planning and developing this volume; Evelyn Bendbow, Sheila McCormick, Marion D. Murray, Manh Nguyen and Donna S. Reeves aided in editing and proofing of copy and in bibliographic work; Mary Nelson gave thorough, precise and diligent attention to composition and the production of final copy.

E. H. Coe, Jr., Geneticist, USDA; Professor of Agronomy

Curtis Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201