REPORT OF THE CEREALIST 209 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



produced from the highest grades of seed had a red skin, the crop from No. 2 Northern 

 and the grades below this showed a small proportion, of kernels with a yellow skin. 

 These are, of course, not necessarily inferior in quality, though less popular at pre- 

 sent In plumpness there was a very slight difference in favour of the crop from the 

 higher grades. 



The red chaff, bearded heads C Assiniboia ' wheat), which were the most con- 

 spicuous tjT^ present other than Eed Fife, gave grain quite as free from soft kernels 

 as the Eed Fife and of a richer red colour. The Assiniboia did not ripen appreciably 

 earlier than the Eed Fife. These observations, as well as those made by the writer in 

 the wheat fields of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, show clearly that the prevailing idea 

 that this Assiniboia wheat is an early, soft variety of poor colour is quite erroneous. 

 Though undoubtedly inferior to Eed Fife for the production of strong, pale-coloured 

 flour, the appearance of the grain is 'better than Eed Fife if judged by the ordinary 

 standards. This serves to show that colour and hardn.ess alone are very poor indica- 

 tions of actual milling value. 



DESCEIPTIONS OF VAEIETIES OF WHEAT. 



So far as the writer is aware no careful descriptions of the most important varie- 

 ties of wheat which have been long under cultivation in Canada have ever been pub- 

 lished. It seems necessary therefore to describe a few of our best known sorts, in re- 

 gard to some of which considerable confusion and misunderstanding exist. 



Red Fife (Scotch Fife). — Kernels red, inclined to pale rather than dark red, of 

 medium size but somewhat short. Heads of medium length, averaging about 3| inches 

 long at Ottawa, tapering, essentially beardless, but having, as a rule, a few elongated 

 awns (generally from 3 to 7) towards the tip. In rare cases some of these awns may 

 be as much as 1| inches in length, but they are usually less than an inch long. In 

 Bome instances the heads are devoid of conspicuous awns. Chaff smooth and usually 

 of a straw-yellow colour, though in some climates it takes a faint reddish tinge, not 

 sufficient however to cause any difficulty in separating the heads frpm thiose of other 

 sorts with true red chaff. The spikelets are set at moderate distances apart, there 

 being usually not less than 16 spikelets in head 3^ inches long and not less than 17 

 in a head 4 inches long. Straw stiff and of good length, usually about 46 inches long 

 at Ottawa. Eipens rather late and gives a good yield. It makes exceptionally strong 

 flour of a rich cream colour (not essentially white as is often supposed). 



Eed Fife was introduced into Canada by Mr. David Fife (not Fyfe), who hap- 

 pened to obtain one kernel of it mixed with a quantity of wheat which came to him 

 from Dantzic by way of Glasgow. Red Fife is still grown in central Europe under 

 the name of Galician. The variety from Hungary, kno',vn as Hungarian Mountain, 

 appears also to be identical with Eed Fife. 



The annexed plates show some typical heads of Eed Fife and of other similar 

 varieties, and also some unusual heads of Eed Fife. Owing to the similarity which 

 exists between Eed Fife and some other sorts any attempt at hand selection of the 

 heads of Eed Fife should be made only in fields of Jcnown purity. Any heads of White 

 Eussian which might be present would be almost sure to be picked out on account of 

 their unusual length, and thus in the course of a few years by repeated selections of 

 the largest heads a serious proportion of this poorer variety would inevitably be pre- 

 sent. In the opinion of the writer it is unsafe as a rule to select Eed Fife with a view 

 to saving seed from specially large heads. The selection of typical heads should be the 

 first aim. 



White Fife. — A full description of this wheat is unnecessary as it is practically 

 identical with Eed Fife in all respects except in regard to the colour of the skin of the 

 16—14 



