lo INHERITANCE OF SOME CHARACTERS IN WHEAT. 



Punjab Type 1.' T. durum Two kinds of hairs one short, one 



very long and silky. 



Punjab Type 2. T. durum Same as Type 1. 



Punjab Type 5. T. compaction Short hairs only. . 



Punjab Type 8. T oulgare Long hairs only, but these are not 



nearly as long or as silky as 

 those on the macaroni wheats. 



Punjab Type 9. „ Two kinds of hairs, long and 



short ; the long hairs quite dif- 

 ferent (snorter and less silky) 

 than those on Types 1 & 2. The 

 long hairs on this type may be 

 the same as those in type 8. 



Punjab Type 17. ,, Long hairs only as in Type 8. 



Punjab Type 18. „ Short hairs only present, but these 



are different in appearance to 

 the short hairs present in 

 Type 9. 



Punjab Type 19. ,, Short hairs only present. From 



their appearance these may be 

 the same as those in Type 9. 



The felting of the glumes of wheat is therefore a much more com- 

 plex character than has hitherto been considered, and the total num- 

 ber of factors involved in this character is considerable and much 

 larger than would be supposed. Considering that a microscopic 

 examination of this character is sufficient to disclose several sorts 

 of hairs, it is surprising the complex nature of felting has not 

 been observed before. Possibly the explanation of this is to be 

 found in the fact that double felting seems to be commoner in maca- 

 roni or wheats derived from these than in wheats of the Northern 

 temperate regions where much of the wheat breeding work has been 

 done. 



On looking through our collection of European felted wheats 

 two sets of hairs were distinguished in the following Rivet 

 wheats : — 



Ble Nonette de Lausanne. 



Poulard d' Australie. 



Petanielle noire de Nice. 



Ble de miracle. 

 In all the European common wheats with velvet chafE which 

 we have examined only one set of hairs was observed in any wheat, 

 but the kind of hairs in these wheats was not always the same. 



1 Howard & Howard, Memoirs of the Dept. of Agr. in India (Bot. Series), Vol. II, 

 No. 7, 1908. 



