96 



THE WHEAT CULTURTST. 



The Red Blue-stem Wheat. 



This is an old and very popular variety of wheat, 

 which originated in Pennsylvania. It is one of the 

 , , a finest and most profitable varieties of 



red wheat. The growing grain with- 

 stands the ravages of the wheat midge 

 better than many varieties, but not so 

 well as some others. The chaff fits rather 

 close to the kernels, but not so tight as 

 the chaff of some other varieties. The 

 Red Blue-stem Wheat is one of the most 

 prolific varieties that has ever been cul- 

 tivated ; and the young plants endure the 

 cold of winter with less injury than many 

 other kinds of wheat. J. H. Klippart 

 says, in the Transactions of the Ohio 

 Board of Agriculture, that this variety 

 makes as good a quality of flour as does 

 any red wheat ; the grain ripens three to 

 six days later than the Mediterranean 

 wheat ; but no variety repays good cul- 

 tivation so well, or yields so little when 

 indifferently cultivated, as does this va- 

 riety. Many of the more recent varie- 

 ties of smooth, red wheats were derived 

 from this old standard variety, which has been cultivated 

 in many counties in Ohio for more than fifty years. The 

 regularity of the rows of grain and the tightness of the 

 chaff to the kernels show this to be a very desirable va- 

 riety to cultivate. With proper selection of seed, and 

 superior cultivation, the yield and quality may be won- 

 derfully improved. 



Fig. 16. 

 Red blue-stem. 



