43 



Blue Stem, Australian, Little Club, Early May, AUora Spring-, Yemide, 

 King's Jul)ilee, Early Genesee Giant, etc., are examples of this class. 

 Adding still to these a number of other sorts, belonging to the Spelt, 

 Emmer, and Einkorn groups, which are also hardy, but are especially 

 valuable for certain qualities they may furnish in the work of hybrid- 

 ization, and then still a few others, mentioned favorably by other 

 experimenters, we have in all 2-45 wheats which may be regarded as 

 leading varieties of the world. 



For comparative study the principal qualities of these 245 varieties 

 are briefly stated in the following table, which is based mainly upon 

 investigations of this Department, but to some extent also upon the 

 work of others. As regards the field work, it represents a summary 

 of the combined results of the three years' experiments, so that each 

 column shows as nearly as can be given an average of that quality for 

 each variety for the three years. ^ 



The table is made up of twenty-five columns, and the information 

 given in each is in most cases clearly explained by the heading, but in 

 a few cases a little further explanation is perhaps needed. In column 

 2, the following abbreviations are used: C. for common or bread wheat; 

 CI. for club; D. for durum; P. for poulard; Pol. for Polish; S. for 

 spelt; Em. for emuier; and Ein. for einkorn. In column 8, "stand" 

 refers to the degree of completeness with which the plants fill the drill 

 row, and of course often measures, though not always, the stooling 

 quality of the variety. In column 9, under "spring condition," 

 each number expresses in a scale of 1 to 100 the general condition of 

 the variety in all respects about May 1. The figures in column 10 

 are percentages showing the comparative amount of leaf rust on the 

 plant at the date when this rust was most abundant. This column 

 is in the main a reproduction of the column of averages in Bui. No. 

 16 of this Division, Cereal Rusts of the United States, pages 26-32, 

 table 3. Of course the smallest number represents the greatest degree 

 of rust resistance. In column 11, the abbreviations C. and D. indi- 

 cate that the variety corresponding is resistant to cold or drought 

 and the figure shows on a scale of 1-5 how great is the degree of 

 hardiness, 5 meaning extremely hardy. In column 19, the word " vit- 

 reous" refers to grain which is not oidy very hard but is somewhat 

 transpariMit and presents a glassy surface in fracture. Wheats so 

 characterized are usually durums. In column 25 is shown the partic- 

 ular wheat district of the United States to which the variety is best 

 adapted. The districts are indicated by roman numerals having the 

 following signiHcations: I, Soft Wheat district; TI, Semi-Hard Winter 

 Wheat district; III, Southern Wheat district; IV, Hard Spring Wheat 

 district; V, Hard Wint(u- Wheat district; VI, Durum Wheat district- 

 VII, Irrigated Wheat district, and VIII, White Wheat district. 



'There is one exception. In column 9, "spring condition," tlie data given refer 

 only to the e\iieriinents of 1894-95 in Marvlaiid. 



