16 VARIETAL CHARACTERS OF INDIAN WHEATS, 
further think that it is likely that soft white wheats are only natur- 
ally produced in India in certain well-defined localities suchas the 
western districts of the United Provinces, in the Nerbudda valley 
and in South Behar. Other localities, such as North Behar and 
Oudh and the Chenab colony of the Punjab, tend to produce more 
glassy wheats. 
(c) Shape——tThe general shape of the grain in the macaroni, 
dwarf and common wheats of the plains varies greatly and is char- 
acteristic of the sub-species. The macaroni wheats are, long ber- 
ried, Punjab type No. 3, particularly so. Humphries' considers 
that the seeds of this type are too long to be milled in the machinery 
in use at present in England, and that it would passover standard 
sieves with the larger impurities. The dwarf wheats have small 
rounded grains, especially types 7 and 4. All these dwarf wheats 
are unsuitable for use in England on account of the fact that the 
machinery used in extracting the smallseeds would simultaneously 
take out a large proportion of the sample itself. As regards the 
shape of the grain in the common wheats of the Punjab, no differ- 
ences of systematic value have been observed. 
4. STRAW CHARACTERS. 
(a) Strength—In the selection of wheat varieties for culti- 
vation, the strength of the straw is of great importance. Weak- 
strawed forms, however excellent in other respects, are very apt to 
be laid by rust, rain and wind during the ripening period, a cir- 
cumstance which greatly diminishes the yield. Among the 
common wheats of India there are great differences in the strength 
of straw. Most of the wheats of the United Provinces are partic- 
ularly weak as regards the straw. In general, there seems to be 
a connection between the strength of straw and the erectness of 
the ear—the stronger-strawed forms being those with erect ears 
at harvest time, while ears of the weaker-strawed forms bend 
over when ripe. Further observations on this point are desirable. | 
(b) Structure—The distinctive characters of the straw of the 
sub-species of wheat found in the plains is well maintained. The 
! See Appendix A. 
