BOTANICAL RELATIONS OF WHEAT 



49 



Stone Age. It is used for mush and cracked wheat, and as 

 fodder for cattle, rather than for bread. 



79. Spelt (TV. sativum spelt a Hackel). — ^\Vas largely and 

 widely cultivated in ancient times. Hackel states that it was 

 the chief grain in Eg}^t and Greece and was 

 cultivated everj^vhere throughout the Roman 

 Empire and distributed through its colonies. 

 It is now sparingly cultivated in Europe except 

 in northern Spain, where it is still an important 

 crop. At present it is used almost exclusively 

 as a stock food. It is not cultivated in this 

 country except in an experimental way. There 

 are both winter and spring varieties, but the 

 winter beardless spelt, a white-spiked, a^^'nless 

 variety, is said to be the most profitable. 

 Under ordinary conditions the yield is not 

 equal to common wheat. Hackel states that 

 it is more certain, liable to fewer diseases and 

 not at all subject to the attacks of birds. 

 Carleton says that it is especially liable to 

 rust. He gives its desirable qualities as power 

 to hold the grain in the spike, constancy in 

 fertility, and hardiness of certain winter 

 varieties.^ The brittleness of the spike is an undesirable qualit)\ 



The Garton Brothers (England) have obtained good results 

 by crossing spelt on common wheat to prevent shattering at 

 harvest. 



80. Emmer (TV. sat. dicocciim Hackel). — Hackel states that 

 this subspecies has been "cultivated from the most ancient 

 times but always more sparingly than spelt and at present (1885) 

 only in S. Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Servia and Italy." 

 Carleton (1900) says : "Very little, if any, true spelt is grown va 



1 The Basis for the Improvement of American Wheats. By M. A. Carletoa 

 TJ. S. Dept. of Agr., Div. Veg. Phys. and Path. Bui. 24, p. 34. 



Spelt. 

 (One-half natu' 



^ze.) 



