FIELD CEOPS. 933 



otlicr words, lliiit the sccil wci.^liiiiir less lli.iii IS mu. prr l.dod Ik. lis imisl have 

 ])ro(liK'('(l :it Icist T>*\ iicr cciil of sproiilcd hnlis. tlmsc w ci^liiii;,' Iroiii IX Id '22 j;iu. 

 <iU per ci'iit. iiinl llinsc \\ci;,diiii,ix more tiiaii 2L' jiiii. (U pci- cciil : ami lliat the 

 in-uctice of fiiviuj; llic rclalivc lii,'iin's of s|irouts pci- Hii> bolls ami per kilo.m'niii 

 of seed be diseontiiuied. 



Variation in wheat hybrids, A. Kevseu (.inter. Breeders' Assoc. I'roc., 2 

 ( IDOU). 1)1). H.'i-SH). — The ohservatioiis made during two years of work with over 

 200 distinct crosses ohlaincd Iroiii 11 dilTereiit varieties and incliidin-^ K! typo 

 ci'osses, ;ir(^ discussed. 



A brief description of Hie varieties and their chief characteristics is pciven. 

 With reference to the transmission of the bearded chai-acter it was found that 

 the first generation was intermediate — that the proj^eiiy of this intermediate 

 form broke up into i^ forms, awnless, intermediate, and lieard(Ml, and tliat 

 the intermediate forms so obtained aj^ain broke up into :'> forms and more or 

 less closely in conformity to the following ratio: Awnless, 25 per cent; beai'ded, 

 25 per cent ; intermediate. 50 ])er cent. The atithor states that according to 

 Mendelian nomenclature tli(> intermediate form may be considei'ed as a true 

 hybrid. 



Methods in wheat breeding, A. Kkvskk (Amer. Breeders'' Assoc. Proc., 2 

 (IHIIC], pp. ISi:-/'.tl). — In a discussion of the stibject tb(> author states that in 

 a study of ail llie progeny of ;i few mother plants to '.\ generations it w;is found 

 that the original mother plants showed wide variation in .vield and composition, 

 some producing a progeny varying widely, but averaging low in excellence ; that 

 some excellent mother plants produced tiuit'onnly veiy ]>oor i)rogeny, while 

 others gave rise to uniformly good progeny; and that special (pialities will i)e 

 accvu-ately represented in a composite from the best heads of the 5 or 10 best 

 plants strong in the desired (lualities: A method of wheat breeding taking 

 cognizance of these facts has been evolved and is here described. The plan of 

 the method is based upon straight selection without intervening hybridizations 

 or crosses. 



Breeding drought-resisting crojps, K. Gauss (Aiiier. lirceders' Assoc. Proc, 

 2 ( l'.>(i(i\. pp. JOS-112). — The desirability of securing drought-resisting crops for 

 regions of low rainfall and the possibilitj^ of obtaining them by breeding is 

 noted, and the results of experiments begun in ISfx; with wheat are reported. 



Improved Fife W'heat was tised in this work. Sowing seed broadcast did 

 not give satisfactory results, so the method of planting single grains at inter- 

 vals of 12 in. each way was adopted. Although the results secured from wheat 

 planted at the rate of one i)lant per sipiare foot is not cimsidered a measure of 

 what miglit be obt.iined by thicker planting, the author believes that the best 

 results with a wheat of a small grain are obtained when sown not thick(>r tlian 

 a half bushel to the acre. 



The yield secunnl from different v.-irieties of wheat, barley, and rye in l'.)05 is 

 given and it is shown that tlie wheat from gr;iins selected fi'om jilants showing 

 drought-resist .-nice was much greater than from the otliei' wlieat varieties. 

 With only one jilant to tlie square foot the yield was at tlie rate of .-iboiit i:; bu. 

 per acre. 



The author's tlieory of selection is Iiased upon the presumption that jilants 

 which in growth and maturity show the greatest drought-resistance will traus- 

 nnt that constitutional difference to their offsjjring. The results of this work 

 indicate that a variety of wheat acclimatized to arid conditions will l)e rel.i- 

 tively light in weight and hav(> small grains. 



Second report on the influence of fertilizers on the yield of timothy hay, 

 J. W. GiLMOKK and C. F. Clark (.\(ir York Conicll Sta. Bui. 2.'il, pp. W, fiys. 



