146 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



which taller aud later-maturing plants referred to as new type B resulted. In 

 1908, the new types were divided into 3 groups. Plants selected from each 

 group came true when planted in centgeners, with the exception of less than 

 1 per cent of reversions to the original bearded aud beardless types. 



Tabular data show that normal plants selected from plats where a new type 

 occurred for the first time produced about 51 plants of the new type out of a 

 total of 1,650. From 31 selected type A plants a product of 2,170 plants came 

 true except for 23 reversions to the original parent types. Five type B plants 

 gave a product of 350 plants with 3 reversions. Composite samples from 4 plats 

 sister to the one which produced type B produced none of this type in 1908, but 

 in 1909 IS out of their 280 descendants were of type B. 



New type A therefore appears to be a result of the crossing of Turkey Red 

 and Big Frame wheat which remained latent 4, 5, aud 6 generations, then ap- 

 peared, and when planted came true to type as a mutant is supposed to do. 

 All the other wheat crosses observed in these experiments followed Mendel's 

 laws. This suggests that now and then a cross may act in an unusual way. 



Handling' wheat from field to mill, L. A. Fitz (U. S. Dept. Agi:, Bur. Plant 

 Indus, Circ. 68, pp. 12). — This circular discusses methods of handling wheat, 

 their effect on quality and market value, the relation of moisture content to test 

 weight, and the effect of exposure to weather on soundness and changes during 

 the sweating process in stack and bin. 



The absorption of a high percentage of moisture lowers the test weight per 

 bushel. This test weight is not regained by drying the grain. 



Shock-thrashed grain direct from the machine contained 14.8 per cent of 

 moisture and tested 55.5 lbs. per bushel. It was scarcely safe for shipment and 

 showed an excessive loss in milling. Another sample after 18 days in the bin 

 milled tough and caused difficulty in the removal of the bran. Stack-thrashed 

 wheat from the same portion of the field contained 13.2 per cent moisture and 

 tested 59 lbs. per bushel. It showed less loss in cleaning and milling and pro- 

 duced less bran but more " low grade," shorts, and straight flour than the shock- 

 thrashed grain. The shock-thrashed grain after 60 days' storage had a slight 

 advantage in the color of the bread, but the stack-thrashed grain yielded flour 

 with a higher water absorption. 



Absorption and loaf volume improved as the wheat aged, but after aging 2 

 months the flour from the shock-thrashed grain, which was milled immediately 

 after thrashing, was still inferior to flour from wheat which had aged in the 

 bin for the same length of time and no sample milled from shock-thrashed wheat 

 equaled that from stack-thrashed wheat. The average loaf volume from the 

 latter was 2,700 cc. as compared with 2,610 cc. from the earliest milled shock- 

 thrashed wheat. 



Although Bulletin 73 of the Bureau of Statistics, previously noted (E. S. R., 

 21, p. 188), indicates a difference of 23.2 cts. per acre in favor of the shock- 

 thrashing method in cost of handling, the author estimates that the improve- 

 ment in quality through stacking more than counterbalances this added cost. 



Seed sterilization and its effect upon seed inoculation, T. R. Robinson 

 (f7. /S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 67, pp. 11). — In these experiments 50 

 seeds each of alfalfa, crimson clover, garden peas, beans, wheat, corn, and rad- 

 ishes were used. 



The germination percentage of alfalfa, bean, wheat, corn, and radish seed 

 appeared higher after sterilization with 1 or 3 per cent of hydrogen peroxid 

 than before but was almost invariably decreased by the use of formaldehyde and 

 mercuric chlorid. Full strength commercial or 3 per cent hydrogen peroxid 

 and 1 per cent hydrogen peroxid both failed to sterilize garden peas or beans 

 by means of 10 or 60 minute applications except in the case of the 60-minute 



