186 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ORTGIX OF THE COMMON VARIETIES OF WHEAT. 



It may be interesting to give the origin of a few of the better known 

 American wheats. The Fultz wheat was originated in 18G2 by Abraham 

 Fnltz of Mifflin County. Pa. He ])icke(l a few stray beardless heads out 

 of a field of Lancaster wheat, which is bearded. lie i)lanted the grains 

 from the selected heads that year and continued in this way until he 

 had a considerable field of the new variety. This wheat is now being 

 grown with good success in most of the eastern and central states and 

 in several foreign countries. 



In 1865, Mr. (Jarrett Clawson of Seneca county, New York, selected 

 some of the best heads out of his field, the seed of which he increased 

 during the next few years and Ihereby originated Die White Clawson 

 wheat. 



Throughout the spring wheat districts of the northwest, there are a 

 large number of Fife wheats forming the basis of the great wheat and 

 flour production of that district. All of these are said to have been orig- 

 inated from a selection by ]Mr. David Fife, of Otonabee township, On- 

 tario. A friend of his in Glasgow, Scotland, had obtained a small (pian- 

 tity of wheat from a cargo direct from Dantzic, Germany. Mr. Fife re- 

 ceived it shortly before planting his spring wheat. As it proved to be a 

 winter variety he was able to grow only three heads but he continued 

 planting this wheat and distributing the product until now the Fife 

 wheat is known throughout the country. 



In Michigan we find several varieties that still carry the names of 

 the originators. Among these are Betterley, Goings, Shepherd's Per- 

 fection, Eaton, Jones Longberry and Dawson's Golden Chall'. 



PURIFYING AND TESTING VARIETIES. 



At the Michigan Experiment Station thousands of individual plant 

 selections are made. The seeds are at first planted so that it is abso- 

 lutely known that each selection grew from a single seed. The best 

 of these selections are planted in separate rows the next year. Here 

 some of the undesirable lots are discarded before harvest. The remainder 

 of the rows are threshed with that kind of care that allows not a single 

 seed to get over into another lot. 



The higher yielding of these wheats are planted in larger i)lots and as 

 soon as possible they are planted in variety series. The plots in a 

 variety series are usually one drill width (11 hoes) and long enough 

 to make a one-twentieth acre ])l()t. These long and narrow plots are 

 placed side by side on as unifurm land as is available. A three-foot 

 path extends between each two adjacent plots. The first and every fifth 

 plot thereafter is planted with the same variety as a check on the vari- 

 ations in the soil. The remaining plots are jtlanted to different varieties. 

 By this means the relative yielding power of these pure strains is found. 

 This work is repeated each year. The average of three or more years' 

 results should give a fair comparison of the several varieties. The less 

 promising vai-ieties are discarded as soon as they are proven to be in- 

 ferior. The aim in this work is to save the best varieties each year and 

 test them out in comparison with new varieties and finally to develop 

 better varieties for the benefit of the Michigan farmer. Seed of the 

 best of these varieties is being sent out each year to representative 



