238 ENVIRONMENT AND BAKING QUALITIES. 



of the wheats might easily be masked by changes in consistency 

 and nitrogen content. 



The agricultural conditions under which wheat is grown in 

 India have been referred to in detail in the previous papers. There 

 are two great wheat tracts in India which differ widely from each 

 other, both as regards soil and as regards the source of moisture. 

 The more important of these regions is the alluvium of the Indo- 

 Gangetic plain, stretching from Bihar on the east through the 

 United Pro\inces and the Punjab to Sind on the western coast. 

 In parts of Bihar, wheat is grown on high moisture retainmg loams 

 without irrigation. In Oudh, wells supplement the rainfall, while 

 in the western districts of the United Provinces, canal water is 

 commonly employed in wheat growing. In the Punjab, the crop 

 is largely watered from perennial and inundation canals while, in 

 Sind, inundation from the Indus takes the place of the monsoon. 

 The predominant features of the wheat tracts of the plains are the 

 alluvial character of the soil and the occurrence of some form of 

 irrigation. The second great wheat growing tract in India is found 

 in the Peninsula on the black cotton soils of the Central Provinces 

 and Bombay. Here irrigation is the exception and most of the 

 wheat is grown on the moisture left in the soil after the previous 

 monsoon. 



Besides moisture and soil, another factor in Indian wheat pro- 

 duction is of importance. This is the hmited growth period. Wheat 

 can only be sown with safety as soon as the temperature falls suffi- 

 ciently for germination to take place and for the seedhngs to deve- 

 lop. Any attempt to lengthen the growth period by early sowing 

 leads to the partial or entire destruction of the seedlings by heat. 

 The duration of the growth period is equally lunited by temperature 

 at harvest time. The Indian wheat crop ripens under a rapidly 

 ascending temperature, often accompanied by hot, dry winds. Any 

 late crops dry up rather than ripen and the rapid advance of the 

 hot season prevents the cultivation of late maturing wheats. The 



