1Q2 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



hardiness and liijjli qnality at the mill and in the oven. Its main defects 

 are a weak straw and only a niodei-ate yield. Besides American Banner, 

 this wheat has been crossed with J-^arly Windsor («>()()02), two strains 

 of Shepherd's Perfection, (OlSOl and ilOlMIl), Plvmonth Kock (T8GO0) 

 Genesee Giant, (913302), lieai-ded Rock (1)7003) Canadian Hybrid and 

 Craig's Favorite (012703). These wheats all have stitfer straws than 

 Berkley and inchide other desiral)le cpialitics. 



(Genesee Giant is onr best bread maker amonfj tiic \h';\\\ wheats. Be- 

 sides the crosses with American Banner and Berklev, it has been crossed 

 witli Bearded Rock (07003), Harris (013802). Canadian Hybrid and 

 Crai.ti's Favorite (012703). 



In all, twenty different crosses have been made dnring the month of 

 Jnne, making between 3.000 and 4,000 crossed flowers. 



Fig. 5, shows the actnal work of crossing in progress. First the 

 tlower mnst be emascnlated, that is, the anthers containing the jiollen 

 or male element, mnst be removed and ])ollen for fertilizing the flowers 

 is obtained from the other variety of the two wheats being crossed. The 

 cut shows the apj)lication of pollen by means of a small brush to the 

 emasculated flowers. The heads that are wrajiped in A\iii(c doth are 

 finished. 



VARIETY TESTS. 



During the past six years the Ex])eriment Station has dealt with 120 

 varieties of wheat. These wlieats have all been more or less mixed 

 when they came to the Station, but the mixtures in many of them have 

 been isolated and tested out alongside of the purified original sorts. 

 There are, doubtless, many more varieties throughout the state that are 

 promising for this breeding work and should be tested out in this way. 

 However, many of ^lichigan's wheats are identical or nearly so, though 

 known under different names. Again, a large number of varieties that 

 are grown through the state are so low in milling quality as 

 indicated by the softness of the grain, that it hardly seems worth while 

 to add any more of them to the Station's list. When a farmer has a 

 wheat that is harder than the average, and a good yielder on his farm, 

 the Experiment Station would be glad to hear of it or receive a small 

 sample as it may ])rove to excel otliers already obtained. 



>sone of the softer white wlieats have l)een listed in Table II, as they 

 are considered too poor in milling and baking (pialities to be longer con- 

 tinued in the work. In the column headed color and hardiness of grain, 

 pearl stands for a >\hite wheat, which has somewhat of a pearly a])i>ear- 

 ance, is fairly hard, ami as a rule is a good milling wheat. Red. stands 

 for red wheats, which are ('(pial to the j»earl type in hardness. The soft 

 red Avheats are softer than the jiearl. The hard red types compare fairly 

 well with the western hard winter wlieats. All tyi^es contain a small 

 iiortion of \ellow berrv. 



Of the 300 selections wliidi the Station lias grown in I'.irJ. most of 

 those not represented in Table H have been tested in the larger plots 

 for f)nly one year, or are being grown in (he small selection ]»lois as yet. 

 It will also Ik? noliced that half of the \aiieties llnif aie listed are not 

 being continued in 1012. An * indicates that (he variety has been 

 drop[K?d. The reason for dropping these varie?(ies has not been alto 

 gether the yield. The lowest yieldeis have lieeil dropped. Then in the 



