450 Cliapter on ^Y^leats and Wheat Culture. [October, 



Tlie peculiarities of these several species would be interesting to 

 tbe Botanist, but will be passed over for the present. In making 

 choice from all the species and varieties, the thin skinned white wheats 

 are preferred by all the best farmers of Europe, and America, 

 where soil and climate are best adapted to them. In late situations, 

 and less favorable soils and climates, the red varieties are generally 

 preferred, also for spring sowing. Red wheats are however esteemed 

 generally ten or fifteen per cent less valuable than the better white 

 varieties. Writers on agriculture enumerate something over one 

 hundred varieties of wheat; but the nice distinctions which are neces- 

 sarily made in multiplying the sorts to such an extent, are but of slight 

 importance to the majority of farmers. The mode of classification 

 in practice is by natural marks exhibited in the ear and the grain. 

 By a proper description of these, confusion is avoided. The farmer 

 who grows the wheat plant, and sells it in the grain, should be ac- 

 quainted with both; but the baker, who is only acquainted with the 

 grain, need know nothing of the ear. By examination of the heads 

 or ears of wheat you will find them properly divided into three clas- 

 ses. First class is a close compactly headed wheat, which is occa- 

 sioned by the spikelets being set near each other on the rachis, 

 making by their position the chaiF short and broad. The second class, 

 the spikelets being of medium length and breadth, and placed so close 

 upon the rachis as to screen it from view; the head is not so broad 

 as the former but longer, the chaff is of medium length and breadth. 

 In the third class, the spikelets are set more open and so far apart as 

 to permit the rachis to be easily seen between them; the ear or head 

 is about the same length of the second, but is much narrower ; the chaff 

 is long and narrow. When a variety is clothed with beards, it presents 

 quite a different appearance in the head. The term bearded is ap- 

 plied the same as spring wheat; beardless wheat, however, is as fit 

 for sowing in spring as bearded, and the bearded may be sown in 

 winter. 



In regard to the classification by the grain, three heads may com- 

 prise all the varieties. The first class is where all the grains are 

 short, round and plump. The second class, the grains are long and 

 of medium size. The third class, where the grain is large and long 

 to a greater degree than the last class. The following are the names 

 of the kinds of wheat most esteemed and cultivated in this country. 



White Flint, sometimes called white Genesee. This is one of the 

 most valuable in all the northern States, the heads are not very 



