BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 167 



Considerable progress has been made in segregating distinct types 

 of corn from well-known commercial varieties. When isolated, the 

 performance of these types is studied to determine those having high 

 productiveness and other desirable characters. 



WHEAT. 



Wheat classification. — ^The field investigation necessary to the 

 classification of the commercial wheat varieties grown in America 

 is now practically completed. Keys separating more than 180 com- 

 mercial varieties, and the histories, geographic distribution, descrip- 

 tions, and synon^'ms of these varieties have been written. The syno- 

 nyms bring the total number of varietal names nearly to 1,000. Sev- 

 eral little-known varieties grown locally were brought to light by the 

 varietal survey and have been studied m the field during this season. 

 These will bring the total number of commercial varieties to ap- 

 proximately 200, and it is expected that the work on these varieties 

 will be completed and the results prepared for publication during 

 the coming winter. 



Results from the wheat varietal survey have been tabulated. The 

 data show the percentage of each variety grown in each county. 

 Aside from the purpose of classification, the value of the varietal 

 survey has been demonstrated in several other ways; for instance, 

 when the investigation of the so-called take-all disease showed that 

 certain varieties were very susceptible, it was possible to determine 

 very promptly the districts in which those A^arieties are grown com- 

 mercially and the approximate importance they had in those dis- 

 tricts. With this information at hand, prompt action could have 

 been taken to discontinue the growing of these varieties everywhere 

 had this disease continued to spread. 



Wheat production. — Cooperative studies of the effect of time of 

 seeding wheat in Georgia have shown the bad effect of late sowing. 

 Two varieties sown on October 15 yielded 44.4 and 43.7 bushels, while 

 the same varieties sown on November 15 yielded 12.5 and 17.9 bushels 

 per acre, respectively. 



Extension of lohe'at vaHcties. — In addition to the Early Baart and 

 Dicklow, two white wheats found well adapted to chy-land and ir- 

 rigation conditions, respectively^ in parts of the far West, two Aus- 

 tralian varieties are proving excellentl}^ adapted to dry-land condi- 

 tions in the Pacific Coast States. The principal white wheats of 

 the Pacific coast, including Pearly Baart, are of Australian origin. 

 In the experiments durmg the last three or four years the Hard Fed- 

 eration and White Federation, two varieties bred in Australia, have 

 proved outstandingly high yielders. Milling and baking experi- 

 ments have shown the qualit}' of the grain also to be high. The 

 Hard Federation has proved the better in the Pacific Northwest, 

 while the White Federation has slightly exceeded it in California. 

 The cooperation of the large milling companies of the Pacific coast 

 has been enlisted in giving these varieties a thorough trial both in 

 fields and mills. As a result, it is planned to begin their commercial 

 distribution at the close of this season. 



In 1910 the commercial production of Marquis wheat liad increased 

 to nearly 14,000.000 acres, or about GO per cent of the total spring- 

 wheat area of the United States. 



