112 PLANT HYBRIDIZATION BEFORE MENDEL 



field of the cereal, on the farm of Mungoswells." (6, p. 2.) The 

 seeds from this plant were grown in a collection of named vari- 

 eties. At harvest, the crop from the plant proved to be the tallest 

 in the collection. The variety was then raised, and introduced 

 under the name of Hopetoun oat. 



In the fall of 1832 "a fine ear of wheat was found on the farm 

 of Drum, which adjoins Mungosv/ells. This ear originally con- 

 tained one hundred and two grains." The progeny from the head 

 became the Hopetoun wheat. 



"The grain is rather large, white and heavy, the ear is handsome and 

 its chaff white." ... (6, p. 4.) 



"This variety found its way into many of the wheat-growing districts 

 of Britain, and over a wide range of country and climate. It succeeded 

 better than some of the white varieties originated in Scotland, which 

 became so high colored when grown in the south of England, as not to 

 be classed in that country as white wheat." {ib., p. 4.) 



"The next cereal," ShirrefT says, "which I selected, raised and intro- 

 duced into full practice, was the Shirreff oat, which ripens early, and is 

 reported to be very prolific." {ib., p. 5.) 



"Hitherto," he remarks, "I had followed the improvement of the 

 cereals by fits and starts, on the spur of the moment; but in 1856, some- 

 thing like a continued and systematic investigation of the subject was 

 begun." (p. 5.) 



He proceeded to examine the wheat fields on both sides of the 

 Tweed, especially in East Lothian, and selected many heads 

 which differed from the general crop. 



"My experimental plot of wheat for 1857," he says, "contained plants 

 from the seeds of more than seventy ears, which had been selected dur- 

 ing the previous years." {ib., p. 6.) 



From the many strains originating from the first year's selec- 

 tions, three kinds only were propagated. The names given to 

 them were "Shirreff's Bearded Red," "Shirreff's Bearded White," 

 and "Pringles." 



Shirreff now found that the limitations of time and space 

 made it necessary to restrict the number of strains experimented 

 with. The following interesting account is given of what is prob- 

 ably the first systematic planting of plots for the experimental 

 growing of pure strains of wheat. 



"My comparative trial-plot of wheat might be described thus: On a 

 field cropped with wheat, named and unnamed varieties were grown in 

 parallel pairs, from twelve to fifteen feet long, and from nine to twelve 

 inches broad, with a foot-path a yard wide, surrounding the whole 

 plot. . . . From time to time, notes were made regarding each kind, 



