6 THE WHEATS OF BALUCHISTAN 



The formor sataple contained mostly soft white wheat but it also contains 

 some soit red and some hard red wheat. This lack of uniformity m texture 

 is a bad point, one to which British buyers attach much importance. It 

 behaves very well in the conditioning and niillinL^ processes. In the notes 

 on appearance which I dictatetl as a tirst stage in tliese investigations 1 said 

 'nothing special at all in this sample. Shoidd be sui prised if it yields strong 

 flour.' Nor does it. It is Indian wheat (f an ordinary undistinguished type. 



The red Quetta contains a large pi()])()rti<Mi of white wheat similar to the 

 Mastung. The berries arc iriegular in shape and compiise some very hard, 

 and some soft by nature. This kind does not appear to be strong and it is 

 not so. The description 1 have used concerning Mastung applies to red 

 Quetta also. The bakers note concerning the fia\(»ui <»1 the bread from these 

 two kinds is ' \'ery dry, very chaffy. Tastes like Hour itself.' The last 

 remark, if inaccurate, is Expressive. No wonder the natives prefer durums 

 to such varieties for their own food." 



That there is nothing inimical to the pKtduction ol strong wheats in the 

 climate or soil of Baluchistan has been shown by the behaviour of some of 

 the improved Pusa wheats at Quetta. Pusa 1.. Pusa band Pusa 12, all wheats 

 with good quality, have been grown at the Fruit Experiment Station duiing 

 the last few years. The sami)les obtained show that these str-ong wheats 

 do not deteriorate in quality under the new conditions. 



Unfortunately few of the Indian wheats are suitable for di^tubutum 

 iu Baluchistan on account of the n-.ture of their root development. The root 

 system which suits the plains of India is not well adapted to withstand the 

 drought and cold of Baluchis'.an. which necessitate a nuich deeper and 

 stronger rooting power. In 1910. howevcj-. some ci(>.s£cs were made between 

 Pusa wheats of good (|uality and some high-yielding English kinds.* Many 

 of the progeny have very strong rooting jx.wer and it is possible that some of 

 the new wheats derived from these crosses will be found suitable. For the 

 Quetta valley, an early maturing Viuiety with good quality would be a gieat 

 beneht particularly as tin; now system (if cuhivation if adopted would lead 

 to a better develo])ment and lipctiing ol the urain. 



( 'htssijicdiion. 

 As regards the systematic asi)ect of the subject, the iiietlnKl eni])l()yod 

 in former publications. ^' ^ for tin- classification of the wheats of India has 



1 Annual Ki-port of the IiiijhtwI K(..m)i,ii( Uot.uii-it. Ii»i;j. 



-• Howurdiiml H<.«iiril. Mniioirs of th D< /xirhtienl of A<ir. in hnii,, (B-A. .Ser.) vol J 

 no. 7. 19C«t. 



8 Howard and Howard, Wheal in hidiu, Calcutta, I'JlO. 



