88 THE WHEATS OF BALUCHISTAN 



SAMPLE 6. — Red wheat from Zeran, Daman. 



This'sample was rather poor and not so well-grown as the others. It con- 

 sisted of two wheats only. Two- thirds of the sample was composed of the red- 

 chaffed, white-grained wheat, Kurrani Valley Class II (var. erythrolencon Al.) 

 and the rest to Kurrani Valley Class I (var. fernigmeimi Al.) which is 

 similar in appearance but has red grain. 



SAMPLE 7. — White wheat from Parachinar. Sahra. 



This sample was the most mixed of all. It was impossible to make out 

 which was the main constituent. About one-third of the sample consisted of 

 the red-chaft'ed. white-grained wheat, Kurram Valley Class II (var. erythro' 

 leucon Kcke.), about one-third belonged to the white-chaffed, red-grained 

 wheat, Kurram Valley Class V (var. erythros'permnm Kcke.) and the rest 

 consisted of small quantities of the wheats, Kurram Valley Classes III and VI. 



The most striking point about the Kurram Valley wheats is the paucity of 

 varieties. There are only four varieties and six classes. Only common wheats 

 occur, the black-awned macaroni wheat so common in the North, i.e., in the 

 Punjab. Baluchistan and Khorasan. is absent. The wheats are very similar 

 in appearance. They are all fully bearded with smooth chaff'. Only one tone 

 of red is present in the chaff" colour, a brownish red with a kind of bluish bloom 

 overlying it, somewhat similar to the chaff of Pimjab Type 12 but without the 

 blackening of the awns found in this type. The straw in many of these wheats 

 shows the peculiarity observed in several of the Punjab wheats, viz., a pink 

 colour before maturity which turns grey or black on ripening. One interesting 

 point is the]occurrence in two cases. Classes II and III and Classes IV and V, of 

 two wheats morphologically identical except as regards glume-shape, grain- 

 shape (which is of course correlated with the shape of the glume) and tone of 

 colour of the grain. 



The consistency of the grain of all the kinds was soft and no indication 

 of (juality could be observed. They appear all to be essentially weak wheats 

 of poor quality. The grains were not well-filled. It is probable that, as 

 everywhere on the Frontier, wheats with a somewhat shorter growing period 

 would give a better sample of grain and would gi'ow more profitably. Both 

 earcockle and ))unt were found in the samples. * 



Pusa : 

 October 28, 1915. 



