198 ENVIRONMENT AND MILLING QUALITIES. 



is not of paminount importance, any type of loam Ijeing used for 

 wheat. Where the natural rainfall is supplemented from wells as 

 in Oudli, wheat is confined to rather heavy loams witli a moderate 

 capacity for retaining moisture. In tracts which are not irrigated 

 at all as in North Bihar and the Central Provinces, tlie type of soil 

 is of the greatest importance and only heavy soils which retain 

 moisture well are used for wheat. 



Another factor, in addition to soil and moisture supply, is of 

 great importance in wheat-growing in India, namely, the length 

 of the (Growth period in the various tracts. The wheats of Penin- 

 sular India and Bihar are rapidly maturing forms and in these 

 regions any wheats requiring a longer period for growth than 

 those now in cultivation are bound to be unsuitable. In these 

 tracts wheats are sown towards the end of October and reaped 

 during the second half of February and the first half of March. 

 In the United Provinces and the Eastern Punjab the harvest is 

 later, while in the canal colonies of the Punjab wheat is ripe at 

 the end of April. 



Besides these cultural differences, certain of the wheat tracts 

 of India have gained a reputation for producing certain types of 

 grain. Thus the wheat exported from the Narbada valley gives a 

 flour of a very chalky white hue, while the wheat from the Muzaffar- 

 naf^ar District has a very plump soft grain-— other tracts such as 

 parts of Bengal appear to produce small flinty grains. It is obvious 

 that in the introduction of new varieties it becomes a matter of 

 great moment to find out whether such new wheats will retain 

 their characteristics in new districts or whether they will acquire 

 to some extent the characters of the wheat generally grown in 

 such tracts. If, as appears probable from the results already ob- 

 tained, it is found that environment exercises a very marked effect 

 on the quality, it is clear that one of the problems in the improve- 

 ment of wheat in the Indian Empire will be to ascertain what«are 

 the characters of the wheat crop in the various tracts, the extent 

 of these tracts and how far it is possible to usefully distribute new 

 and improved varieties. This will enable a scientific scheme of 

 seed distribution to be drawn up for the whole of India. 



