8 July, 1907.] 



Wheat and \N heat-Breeding. 



445 



more or less slightly tip-awned. The influence of Medeah was marked 

 throughout, except that, as is mostly the case, the bald seedlings pre- 

 dominated, as thev do as a rule whichever is selected as the mother, that 

 is Bobs or Medeah — the former being perfectly bald and the other much 

 bearded. 



In some few instances I have lost varieties apparently bv the want of 

 pollination, only odd florets being fertile ; and lastly, none fertile, though 

 a well formed ear has been developed. Of the twenty-two seedlings 

 obtained from Bobs crossed with Medeah, only one was solid-strawed, 

 and that a bald seedling. In the reverse cross of Bobs on Medeali there 

 were, out of 34 different seedlings, two with quite solid straw, one a bald 

 seedling, the other a bearded one. Another bald seedling was much more 

 solid than the remaining ones. This is the usual experience that I have 

 so far noted, viz. : — the hollow straws predominate in a cross between hol- 

 low and solid-strawed varieties. The above applies to the crossbreds of 

 the first variable generation in each case. There are other modifications 

 during succeeding generations, and it is necessary to single out the types 



1 I 7 ^1 4 I ITT 



SEEDLINGS OBTAINED BY CROSSING BOBS BY MEDEAH. 

 B. Bobs. M. Medeiah. 



whose characteristics it is intended to fix. In some instances it is difficult 

 to fix a variety, in others it is comparatively easy, much depending on 

 the distinctions between the parents being many or few respectively, also 

 whether in the individual seedling the elements of variability are such that 

 there is what might be called a oneness of sympathy between the particular 

 cells that give rise to a harmonious blending, for it sometimes happens 

 that the type selected will not fix, but will die out ; at least it is an experi- 

 ence I have had, and which other experiments may or may not confirm. 

 Weak straws seem to predominate in varieties produced by crossing a 

 weak-strawed prolific variety with a strong-strawed variety for the purpose 

 of obtaining strong-strawed prolific varieties, but I have not carried out 

 exhaustive tests in this direction, as a rule working only with early weak- 

 strawed Indian varieties and with crosses from these. The sponginess of 

 the straw of some thick coarse-strawed varieties is increased bv rapidity of 



