﻿Selection 
  of 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  113 
  

  

  cultural 
  Museum. 
  The 
  " 
  Hopetown 
  wheat 
  ' 
  

   has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  constant 
  variety, 
  excelling 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  " 
  Hunter's 
  wheat 
  : 
  by 
  larger 
  

   grains 
  and 
  longer 
  heads; 
  it 
  yields 
  likewise 
  a 
  

   straw 
  of 
  superior 
  quality 
  and 
  has 
  become 
  quite 
  

   popular 
  in 
  large 
  districts 
  of 
  England 
  and 
  Scot- 
  

   land, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  ' 
  ' 
  White 
  

   Hunter's 
  " 
  from 
  its 
  origin 
  and 
  the 
  brilliant 
  

   whiteness 
  of 
  its 
  heads. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  ShirrefPs 
  oats 
  were 
  discov- 
  

   ered 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  plant 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  

   isolated 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  commerce 
  

   after 
  multiplication. 
  It 
  has 
  won 
  the 
  surname 
  

   of 
  " 
  Make-him-rich." 
  Nothing 
  is 
  on 
  record 
  

   about 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  its 
  origin. 
  

  

  Four 
  valuable 
  new 
  varieties 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  

   oats 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  forty 
  

   years. 
  Then 
  Shirreff 
  changed 
  his 
  ideas 
  and 
  his 
  

   method 
  of 
  working. 
  Striking 
  specimens 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  rare, 
  and 
  the 
  expectation 
  of 
  a 
  

   profitable 
  result 
  too 
  small. 
  Therefore 
  he 
  be- 
  

   gan 
  work 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale. 
  He 
  sought 
  and 
  

   selected 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1857 
  seventy 
  

   heads 
  of 
  wheat, 
  each 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  plant 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  some 
  marked 
  and 
  presumably 
  favorable 
  pe- 
  

   culiarity. 
  These 
  were 
  not 
  gathered 
  on 
  one 
  

   field, 
  but 
  were 
  brought 
  together 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  

   fields 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  access 
  in 
  his 
  vicinity. 
  

   The 
  grains 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  selected 
  heads 
  were 
  

  

  