Descendenz und Hybriden. 403 



BiFFEN, R. H., Mendel's Laws of Inheritance andWheat 

 Breeding. (Journal of Agricultural Science. Vol. I. p. 4. 

 1905.) 



The paper deals with the importance of improving the 

 quality of the varieties of wheat commonly grown in Eng- 

 land, with the bearing of Mendel's classical experiments 

 upon the possibility of doing so, and with a long series of 

 experiments on crossing different varieties of wheats, ex- 

 periments which illustrate and confirm the results obtained by 

 Mendel in the case of peas. 



Using Bateson's notation : Simple dominance in Fl, 

 followed by a ratio of 3D : IR in F2 from seif fertilisation, was 

 found in the following cases: 



D. R. 



Beardless ears. Bearded ears. 



Feited glumes (from „Rough Smooth glumes. 



Chaff"). 



Keeled glumes. Round glumes. 



Lax ears. Compact ears. 



Red chaff. White chaff. 



Red grain. White grain. 



Thick and hollow stem. Thin and solid stem. 



Rough leaf surface. Smooth leaf surface. 



Bristles on stem. Smooth stem. 



Large sclerenchyma gir- Small sclerenchyma girders 



ders associated with an and an almost circular 



angular stem outline. outline. 



Susceptibility to the attacks Immunity to yellow rust. 



of yelUow rust. 



As above, but showing segregation in F3 instead of inF2: 



Hard, translucent endo- Soft, opaque endosperm. 



sperm. 



There was irregulär dominance in the case of the following 

 characters: 



Feited glumes (from Glabrous glumes. 



„Rivet"). 

 Grey colour of the glumes. Red or white glumes. 



Fl was intermediate between the parents in the case of 

 the following pairs of characters: 

 Lax and dense ears. 

 Large glumes and small glumes. 

 Long grains and short grains. 

 Early and late habit of ripening. 



On segregation plants bearing the intermediate character 

 were found to be twice as numerous as either of the pure 

 forms. A diagram is given to indicate the distribution of actual 

 measurements of the length of the glumes in F2 from Rivet 

 X Polish wheat. r. h. Lock. 



26* 



