12 VARIETAL CHARACTERS OF INDIAN WHEATS. 
3. GRAIN CHARACTERS. 
(a) Colour.—The colour of the matured grains of the Punjab and 
other Indian wheats we have so far examined is either red or 
white. The tint of colour of both classes varies a good deal. The 
red wheats vary from dark brownish-red to light red, while the 
white wheats include yellowish and amber tints. We have experi- 
enced no difficulty in determining the colour except in cases of 
unripe ears where the red colour is not so well marked. Asa gener- 
al rule, the Indian white wheats exhibit a clearer and more marked 
white colour than those of colder countries. 
While the various red and white wheats show different and often 
characteristic tints, we have not used these tints to separate the 
kinds on account of the influence of soil and temperature during 
the ripening period on the tone of colour. As will be seen in the 
next section, the particular tone of colour depends partly on the con- 
sistency of the grain, and since consistency varies inthe same variety, 
both from year to year in the same locality and also in different 
localities in the same year, it is not safe to use tone or tint of colour 
as a distinguishing character. As an example of the change of tone 
of colour, the cultures from the same sample of Muzaffarnagar 
white wheat at Muzaffarnagar, Lyallpur and Pusa in 1908 may be 
quoted. The three samples, when placed side by side, appear quite 
different. The Muzaffarnagar sample is clean white, the Pusa 
sample amber, and the Lyallpur one intermediate. 
We have been at great pains to obtain reliable evidence on the 
question of the change of white wheats to red when introduced into 
fresh localities. There are a large number of loose statements both 
inthe Indian and European literature on this subject, and many ob- 
servers consider that white wheats change into red ones when grown 
on certain soils. Thus, Percival’ states :—‘‘ White wheats, however, 
become red in warm climates or when grown on certain soils, so that 
this character is of little value in a scientific scheme of classification 
of the different varieties.’’ Eriksson’ believes that white wheat 
t Percival, Agricultural Botany, New Kdition, 1902, p, 5u4. 
2 Eriksson, l.c. 
