HOWARD AND HOWARD. 57 
Committee with an ear of the progeny which certainly seems to 
indicate that a natural cross did take place. Extremely rare 
though such cases of natural cross-fertilisation may be, it is not 
at all difficult to cross-breed wheat artificially.’’ 
Two more cases of natural crossing in England in which Red 
Fife was the female parent have been observed at Chertsey 
melo0G:* 
Although natural crosses are very rare in the damp climate of 
England, it by no means follows that such occurrences are equally 
rare in other wheat-growing countries. In drier and more sunny 
climates, such as that of the continent of Europe and some of the 
wheat-growing districts of North America, it is quite possible that 
natural crossing is much more common. A perusal of the litera- 
ture shows that this supposition is amply confirmed. Thus in 
Jersey, LeCouteur’ found that a red-felted wheat gave rise to 
felted red, smooth red, felted white, and smooth white plants. 
Another case of natural crossing was noticed by this observer in a 
Kentish felted wheat which gave rise to both smooth and felted 
progeny. Koernicke at Popplesdorf records several cases of natural 
crossing in Die Arten und Varietcten des Getreides published in 
1885. Thus on page 31 he states :—‘‘ It will be seen that wheat 
is arranged for self-fertilisation, but that cross-fertilisation is not 
impossible. That the latter occurs in the field was proved by me 
by undoubted crosses which I obtained in the garden and from 
which I grew some peculiar forms.’’ On page 49, in describing 
the varieties of 7. compactum, Host., Koernicke states that this 
group more than any other is disposed to cross in the field. Thus 
his varieties 25, rufulum, Kcke.; 26, creticwum Mazzucato ; 29, 
crassiceps Keke.; 30, rubrum Kceke.; 37, sericeum, Al.; 38, albiceps 
Keke.; 39, rubriceps Kcke.; 40, echinodes Kcke.; were obtained 
from natural crosses. Further, on page 62, when discussing the 
varieties of 7. durum Desf., he states that one of the difficulties in 
1 Report of the Home-grown Wheat Committee for the cereal year 1907. 
* LeCouteur, Zhe Varieties, Properties and Classification of Wheat, 2nd Ed., Jersey, 
1872, p. 132. 
