FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 203 



WHEAT BREEDING. 



Wheat breeding is as legitimate a business as stock breeding, and the 

 same general principles apply to both. Some of our improvements in 

 wheat have been secured by cultivating "sports," or accidental varia- 

 tions of marked character, as in the single stool of wheat found in New 

 York, or the stool of wheat found in Paris, Ontario, by Robert Dawson, 

 that gave the world the Golden Chaff. The stock breeder has found in 

 "sports" or variations from the normal type in his stock, the opportunity 

 to start a new type or breed of stock. The wheat breeder has depended 

 largely upon selecting variations from usual type, and promoting by 

 further selection and cultivation these variations of desirable qualities. 



The stock breeder avails himself of these individual variations, select- 

 ing and promoting those most desirable. But in addition to variation 

 and environment, he has introduced more powerful influences by cross- 

 breeding of his animals — a most efficient cause of variation. But the 

 wheat breeder has made little use of this method, and there is good rea- 

 son for this. Cross-breeding in animals is easily secured, but the struc- 

 ture of the wheat head is such that it is difficult to secure cross-breeding, 

 and accidental or natural cross-fertilization is rare in the wheat plant, 

 though very common in com. But cross-breeding to secure the points of 

 excellence in two varieties of wheat appears a most promising field for 

 improvement of this grain. 



CROSS-BREEDING IN AUSTRALIA. 



Mr. William Farrer, of New South Wales, has turned his attention for 

 several years to cross-lbreeding wheat, particularly to develop a rust-proof 

 wheat for Australia, and has been very successful in his efforts. Hav- 

 ing had some correspondence with Mr. Farrer on the subject of improving 

 wheat a few months ago, I received from him ten cross-bred wheats, all 

 of them the first year's growth from the cross. He used the Improved 

 Fife as the parent stock in nine cases, and crossed this with some promis- 

 ing wheat of another kind. 



There was about a teaspoonful of each kind of cross-bred wheats, and 

 they all looked promising. These precious seeds were placed in the 

 hands of Prof. Smith, who planted them separately, and placed them 

 under the care of Mr. Crozier. Each kernel will produce a stool of wheat, 

 which will be gathered and examined separately. We will thus have 300 

 or 400 separate specimens of wheat, out of which we may find 

 thirty or forty kinds worthy of further testing. We shall probably find 

 some new kinds of wheat, and possibly varieties of great value. It will 

 require some years of cultivation to fix the character of any of these new 

 varieties. It is a lottery of nature in which we may draw nothing but 

 blanks, but we hope to draw a prize for the farmers and millers of 

 Michigan. 



