HOWARD AND HOWARD. 17 



Thus it has been shown that the felting on the chaff of wheat 

 is due to the presence of different kinds of hairs, one or more of which 

 may be present in the same wheat. In all our investigations up to 

 the present each kind of hair has been shown to be due to a single 

 factor and to be inherited independently of any other kind of hair 

 present. The microscopic comparison of the wheats Pusa 20 and 

 Punjab Type 9, and also the breeding experiments make it probable 

 that though each wheat contains two kinds of hairs differing in 

 length, none of the hairs are alike. This gives at least four kinds 

 of hairs and four different factors in two wheats only. 



These results led to the examination under the microscope of a 

 large number of other felted wheats, when some interesting observa- 

 tions were made. It was found that the differences in the length 

 and density of the hairs composing the felting are more numerous 

 than would be supposed, and it was found without exception that all 

 densely felted wheats contained two different kinds of hairs, one of 

 which was long and to which was due the densely felted appearance. 

 A large number of macaroni wheats from all over India were 

 examined and in all cases two kinds of hairs were present. 

 With the exception of Pusa 20 and Sindhi of Partabgarh, all 

 the Indian durums examined possess a peculiar long silky tomen- 

 tose type of hair as well as short hairs. These long hairs are 

 absolutely distinct from the long hairs of Punjab Type 9. 

 As no breeding experiments have been carried out with these 

 wheats, it is impossible to say whether these hairs are in- 

 tensified forms of other long hairs or whether, as is more probable, 

 they are due to an entirely new factor. In the common wheats 

 examined the felting was found to be simple, but in these cases the 

 different wheats were found to possess hairs of different length. It is 

 probable, in the light of the experience already obtained, that these 

 will be found to be different and to be due to several factors. 



As an example of the diversity of the nature of the felted chaff' 



in wheat, the results of an examination of the wheats of the Punjab 



may be given. In 1908, the wheats of this Province were shown to 



belong to 25 distinct agricultural types among which there are 8 



felted kinds. 



■I 



