lo May. 1909. 



Wheat Improvement Committee. 



^83 



The development of new spikelets apjx^ars to be inherent in many 

 wheats, including the common varietie.^ when the conditions are favorable 

 to a good harvest. Under such conditions, there frequently appears, at 

 the shoulders of the rachis, two spikelets where only one is generally seen 

 (Plate 6 (15). By constant selection, this quality becomes more intensi- 

 fied, especially when crossing types both of which have this abnormal 

 development. The above peculiarity I have more frequently noticed on 

 the square, prolific, dense ears, than on the open ears. It is not a 

 specially rare thing to find two ears growing on one stem. As a rule it 

 is due to abnormal development and is not a mutation, because the charac- 

 teristic is not perpetuated. This season several such ears were found on 

 different plants; in each case, with the exception of the one mentioned 

 below, all the ears except the one being normal. On one occasion, tw'o 

 stems each with two ears were found on the one plant, but the ears of 



6. FORMS OF PROLIFIC EARS ORIGINATED AT DOOKIE AND STILL UNDER 



OBSERVATION. 



(i, 3, and 5) Ears containing Federation blood. The lower part of the outer ear 

 on the right illustrates the duplication of the rows of spikelets. This may be noted in 

 7 and 13. 



the better- developed pair did not measure more than an inch and a half 

 in length. In some cases the presence of two ears was possiblv due to the 

 central rachis being injured, and, owing to the good season, the inherent 

 quality of throwing out new spikelets possessed by some wheats mav have 

 been stimulated. In view- of the man) malforrriations due to in.sects, bac- 

 terial influence, sap-circulation, &c., a paper dealing with these alone 

 would pro^e of interest. 



Clubbed Varieties. 



Clubbed wheats are usually short in the ear and in the small space 

 between the apex and the base of the rachis are packed manv spikelets 

 and florets. Club-tipped ears are very common among some of the Purple 

 Straw varieties, and this fact is mo.st apparent during a good season. 

 The presence of this characteristic sometimes gives the impression of im- 

 purity of variety. Those clubbed wheats which are on short, stiff straws 



