ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES OF WILD EMMER. 51 



(6) I believe that the existence of all of these prototypes — that 

 is to say, of oats, wheat, barley, and rye — in a single region, Syria 

 and Palestine, tends to show that the cultivation of cereals must 

 have originated there, or at least in closely adjoining localities. 



ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES OF WILD EMMER. 



Hitherto we have devoted our attention to the theoretical and 

 purely scientific phase of this question, but I have thought from the 

 first that it may have a practical and economic interest. The fact 

 that Triticum dicoccum dicoccoides endures the most extreme climatic 

 conditions seems to me to be very important when we consider the 

 future economic possibilities of the plant. Its distribution extends 

 vertically for more than 0,500 feet. I have found it from 325 to 

 500 feet below the Mediterranean in the vicinity of the Jabbok 

 (eastern tributary of the Jordan) and up to 0,000 to 6,300 feet above 

 sea level at Mount Hermon, in the zone of alpine plants. 



By the selection and crossing of this wild cereal, which prefers 

 poor, rocky, shallow, dry soil and thrives without any cultivation, 

 we should be able to produce new races which will be very persistent 

 and very hardy. In this way we can extend the cultivation of wheat 

 to regions where it is at present impossible on account of the low 

 quality of the soil and the severity of the climate. 



The writer has had the pleasure of seeing that many eminent sci- 

 entists and practical men share this opinion. Kornicke's son and 

 Mr. M. A. Carleton, the Cerealist of the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 are working on this problem. In the Vossische Zeitung for Septem- 

 ber 3, 1908, Professor Schweinfurth gives an account of the experi- 

 ments carried on by the late Professor Kornicke, which will be con- 

 tinued by his son and successor in the chair of botany in the Agro- 

 nomic Institute of Bonn-Poppelsdorff. 



Of the thirty-six plats sown the first year of Kornicke's experi- 

 ments more than thirty produced splendidly developed heads. Pro- 

 fessor Schweinfurth shares my belief that this cereal shows very 

 exceptional hardiness and adaptability, and he is certain that by se- 

 lection and crossing we shall obtain some races especially adapted to 

 arid regions and other races valuable for cold and elevated localities. 

 Out of thirty-six plats sown last year, thirty-five came to fruition, 

 and some of them produced heavier and more beautiful seeds than 

 any of our cultivated wheats. 



The countries adjoining the regions where Triticum dicoccum 

 dicoccoides has been found should be carefully explored. We should 

 determine its exact area of distribution and thoroughly study its 

 numerous varieties and forms, their life history, pollination, etc. 

 This would place us in a position to utilize these wild varieties to 



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