PREPACK. 



The following' technical paper on "Improving the Quality of 

 Wheat," })y Dr. T. L. Lyon, of the Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion of Nebraska, embodies the results of extended investigations on 

 the application of chemical methods to the selection and improve- 

 ment of wheat. The investigations were carried on mainly at the 

 Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station in connection with the 

 cooperative work of that institution and the Plant-Breeding Labora- 

 tory of this Office. 



Li the breeding of wheat more extended data are greatly desired 

 so that more intelligent methods of selection may be devised. The 

 investigations of Doctor Lyon, it is believed, have established 

 methods which wdll be of great value to wheat breeders and mate- 

 rially facilitate the work in their field. 



This paper was originalh' presented as a thesis to the faculty of 

 Cornell University for the degree of doctor of philosoph3\ The 

 author wishes to express his api)reciation of the guidance of Prof. 

 L P. Roberts, Prof. G. C. Caldwell, and Prof. Thos. F. Hunt, who 

 constituted the committee having his work in charge, also of the 

 assistance of Prof. L. H. Bailey and Mr. G. N. Lauman, with whom 

 he frequent!}^ sought counsel. For the analytical work, extending 

 tlu'ough a ]:)eriod of seven years and involving several thousand 

 chemical determinations, he is indeljted to Prof. S. Aver}', Mr. R. S. 

 Ililtner, Prof. R. W. Thatcher, Mr. Y. Nikaido, ISIiss Rachael Corr, 

 ]\Ir. II. B. Slade, and Mr. G. II. Walker. I\Ir. Alvin Keyser has 

 kept the records of wheat-breeding plats and Mr. E. G. Montgomery 

 has assisted in keeping other records. 



A. F. Woods, 

 Pathologist and Physiologist. 



Office of Vegetable Pathological 



AND Physiological Investigations, 



Washington, D. C, March 31, 1905. 



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