PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS. 



At various times during the years 1894 to 1897 all the wheat States 

 except New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pacific Coast States were 

 pretty thoroughly explored by the writer, the conditions of soil and 

 climate being noted and a careful study made of the nature and distri- 

 bution of the wheat varieties. Finally, during the past season (1899), 

 it became possible to make a similar investigation of such conditions 

 in the Pacific coast and North Mountain States, special attention being 

 given in this case to the region usually known as the Palouse Country, 

 and also to wheat culture under irrigation. Naturally very valuable 

 information was obtained through these personal observations, which 

 will be of great use in future work in wheat improvement. 



During the summer and autumn of 1898, under the direction of the 

 Section of Seed and Plant Introduction of this Department, an 

 exploration was made of the greater part of European Russia, including 

 the Caucasus, and of a small portion of the Kirghiz Steppes, as well 

 as of Hungary and Roumania, in search of additional cereals for this 

 country. A general report of this work has been published.^ In 

 Huno-arv and Roumania no varieties better than our own were found 

 that had not already been obtained from those countries. In Russia 

 some very valuable sorts were secured, which together with four or 

 five others yet to be received," give this country now practically 

 ever3'thing of importance in the line of wheats from that, the second 

 greatest wheat country of the world. All these explorations have 

 been of great value in furnishing a long-desired opportunity for a 

 comparative study of wheat varieties and the conditions of wheat 

 environment in different countries. 



CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS OF THE SEVERAL WHEAT DIS- 

 TRICTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



From the standpoint of investigations so far made concerning the 

 conditions of wheat environment and the adaptations of varieties in 

 the United States, the country may be considered as divided into eight 

 wheat districts, each possessing characteristics quite different from 

 those of the others. In fact, in some cases they are as different from 

 each other as though they lay in different continents. They are as 

 follows: (1) The Soft Wheat district, including mainly the New Eng- 

 land and Middle States; (2) the Semihard Winter Wheat district, 

 including the North Central States; (3) the Southern Wheat district, 

 including the northern part of the Southern States; (4) the Hard 

 Spring Wheat district, including the Northern States of the Plains; 



^ Russian Cereals adapted for Cultivation in the United States, Bui. No. 23, Division 

 of Botany, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1900, by M. A. Carleton. 

 ■■'Since this was written these- varieties have all been obtained. 



