12 THE WHEATS OF BALUCHISTAN 



As ref^ards the terms bearded and beardless, all wheats in which the 

 awns are half an inch or more long have been classed among the bearded 

 varieties, but in the descriptions the term bearded has been qualified by such 

 term as fully bearded and half-bearded. As the samples had to be sent 

 long distances and were collected and despatched by subordinate officials 

 with little or no knowledge of the care necessary in sending specimens, it is 

 not surprising that a good deal of breakage took place, especially of the 

 awns. This has made it diflicult. in some cases, to determine the degree of 

 bearding, and it is possil)le that this may not alway.s have been quite 

 accurately described. 



There is a curious want of colour about the wheats both from Baluchistan 

 and Khorasan. The red colour of the chaff and of the grain, if present, is 

 pale and poorly developed. In the plains, white-chaffed or white-grained 

 wheats are really yellow in colour and it is only a convention to term them 

 white, but in these arid regions they ai>pj'o.\imate move to a true white and 

 have a dead or dull appearance. It is probable that this want of development 

 both of the red and the yellow colouriiig matter is due to the conditions under 

 which th<' wheat ripens. As pointed out above, constant irrigation under a 

 hot sun and wind, by producing a cement-like condition of the soil im])er- 

 meable to air, induces withering rather than ripening. 



The most striking point about the Baluchistan wheats is the large 

 number of different kinds cultivated. Two varieties of rivet wheats which 

 could be subdivided into three classes, four \arieties of macaroni wheats falling 

 into six classes, one variety of coniixKium and eighteen varieties of T. vulgare 

 comprising fiftv-four classes were found. CVmsidering how small the actual 

 area under cultivation is, this was somewhat unexpected. Baluchistan is the 

 only part of India ii\ which rivet wheats occur. 



II. CLASSIFICATION AND DP^SCRIPTION 

 OF THE TYPES. 



A. ('I..\SS1K1('\T1()N OK Till-: WllKATS OF BALUCHISTAN. 



TkITFCU-M IIKIJIDLM L. I \ I V K r WllKATS. 



(rlumes felted. 



\. Olumes white, awns black. 

 a. Grain white. 



