IINU'UON KMKN r IH 1 1 V UKl I H/A'l'K )N. 



Ill inanv iiistjuu-os (luiilitics tliiit arc xcry (l('siral)lo or vyvu lu'ccssarv 

 for a partifuliir districl aic ciitircly lackinu'. or at least not ])ivs('iit in 

 any a])pr('cial)l(' dcurcc. in Niirictics which arc in all other respects 

 adinirahly adapted to the district, in such instances th(> iinproN eincnt 

 of the vaiMety must be accomplished hy l>r(M>din>i- into it the desired 

 quality from som(> other sort ]M)ssessiny- it to m hiu'li deorcc. Thoiinh 

 not so simi)lc a process as that just descrihed. and Irauolit with iinich 

 more uncertainty in its operations, hyhridi/ation is 5)rten absolutely 

 necessary for ])ro(lucinj>- radical chanycsoi' oi-cat moment, or, in ciisesof 

 emerj^ency, for satisfyin«i' an inipeiati\-e need, wIumi the ordinary i)roc- 

 ess of s(dection alone would either he too slow or f:iil entirely. 'The 

 possi))ilities for im])rovement through hyhridi/ation, accomi)anied l»y 

 discriminating- sidection, in the hands of skillful hnMulers, s(>em to he 

 practically unlimited, especially in the <-asc of a [Anui so closely s(>lf- 

 fertilized as wheat. Nevertheless, comi)aratively little work of this 

 kind has vet been done with the cereals, and particularly so in this 

 country. Also the j^reater part of what has Ix-eii accomplished, thoiiuh 

 productive of important residts, has been of rather an elementary 

 natui'e. 



It may l)e advisable^ before continuino- the discussion to ^ive lirst 

 a l)rief account of some of the principal wlu'at hybrids produced in 

 this country. Nearly all of these new sorts have i)roved to be of 

 more or less value in wheat improxcment, while a few of them have 

 become well-known factors in dev(dopin<;- the industry. 'VUo pioneer 

 in the production of wheat hybrids in this country is ('. (i. Pi-in<ile of 

 Charlotte, Vt. Sotne of the most im])ortant of his hybiids are Crin- 

 gle's No. 4, No. 5, and No. <), Pi'inolc's Best, and rrin<;l(^'s Deliance. 

 The last-named vari(^ty was produced in Vermont in 1S77. In ISTS 

 it was inti'oduced into soutluu'ii C!alifornia, and has e\'er since been 

 a standard soi-t there, ])articulai-ly on account of its lust resistance. 

 In the lield experiments conducted by this Department this variety 

 and rrinole's No. 5 have always proved to be rather hardy, lust resist- 

 ant, and productive. 



I'rof. \. K. Hlount, while connected with the Colorado Aorjcultui-al 

 College, did much work in crossing wheats, and lunong a comparatively 

 large numbei' of hybi'ids prodiacd some that are now not Only W(dl 

 known ill this counti'y, but ai'c among the most valuable soils in 

 .Austialiii. They are used by Australian wheat breeders [)robably more 

 often than any othei- foi'eign sorts us the jjarents of hybrids pnxhn'cd 

 in that country. The most important of Blount's wdieats are perhaps 

 the following: Amethyst, ImproNcil Fife, I loiiil)lende, (Jypsum, 

 Blount's No. !<>, Felspar, Ruby, and (Jranite. (Jypsum (Blount's 

 Lambrigg), Iloi-nblende. Quartz, and Improved Fib' are the mo.st 



