462 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



on this type of soil has shown a marked effect upon the growth of alfalfa. The 

 results as a whole are regarded as emphasizing the importance of the systems of farm 

 management which will bring to this type of soils the largest supply of readily avail- 

 able nitrogen, and as pointing out in this connection the value of growing legumi- 

 nous crops and of properly preserving stable manure. 



The influence of the season on the composition of wheat, F. Wohltmann 

 ( Dent. Landw. Presse>32 ( 1905), No. 36, pp. 309-311).— The fluctuation in dry matter, 

 ash. and protein content of American, Turkestan, and German varieties of spring 

 and winter wheat for the seasons of 1896 to 1904, inclusive, is reported and the influ- 

 ence of the weather conditions in this connection is discussed. 



The American varieties comprised 23 of spring wheat and 45 of winter wheat, 

 while only 5 German varieties and apparently only 1 variety of Turkestan wheat, all 

 spring-wheat varieties, entered into the experiment. In dry matter the fluctuations 

 were not very great between the wheats from different sources, but in ash and pro- 

 tein content the differences were quite marked. The protein content in American 

 spring- wheat varieties showed a fluctuation of 32 per cent, in the Turkestan wheat 

 25 per cent, and in the German varieties 38 per cent. 



A wheat with numerous aliases, C. E. Thorne ( Ohio Sta. Bui. 152, pp. 210, 

 .HI ). — Five plats of wheat from seed procured from as many different localities and 

 known under different names were apparently all of the same variety, and although 

 large claims have been made for the wheat under the name of Prosperity, the yields 

 were not equal to those of Velvet Chaff, a variety of medium productiveness, as 

 shown by 10-year tests at the station. 



Mendel's laws of inheritance and wheat breeding-, R. H. Biffen (Jour. Agr. 

 Sci., 1 (1905), No. 1, pp. 4-48, pis. 2, dgm. 1). — This article discusses Mendel's law 

 as applied to wheat breeding, reviews the work of several investigators, describes the 

 differentiating characters of wheat and the method of artificial cross pollination, and 

 reports the results of experiments begun in 1900 with a view to improving English 

 varieties. 



Brief descriptions are given of 18 varieties used in crossing and of the resulting 

 crosses, together with a detailed account of the various characters and their behavior 

 in the cross and in the first generation. In summing up the author presents the fol- 

 lowing grouping of characters showing pure dominance and resembling those 

 described in peas by Mendel: 



Don) intuit. Recessive. 



Beardless heads. 

 Velvety glumes. 

 Keeled glumes. 

 Loose heads. 

 Red chaff. 

 Red grain. 



Thick and hollow stem. 

 Rough leaf surface. 

 Bristle stem. 



Bearded heads. 

 Smooth glumes. 

 Round glumes. 

 Compact heads. 

 White chaff. 

 White grain. 

 Thin and solid stem. 

 Smooth leaf surface. 

 Smooth stem. 



Large sclerenchyma girders and angular Small sclerenchyma girders and almost 



stem outline. circular stem outline. 



Hard, translucent endosperm. Soft, opaque endosperm. 



Susceptibility to yellow rust, Immunity to yellow rust, 



Irregular dominance was observed in the crosses in velvety and glabrous glumes 

 and gray and red or white glumes. In other cases the pairs of characters showing 

 no dominance and in which the cross was intermediate between the parents were 



