9 



THE WHEAT PLANT 

 BLUE CONE 



This wheat may come into ear as early as June 7 or not until August 12, and may 

 ripen as early or earlier than August 25 or not until September 20. 



All wheats sown at Reading in January, February, and March produce 

 ears in the same season ; if sowings are made at weekly intervals later, 

 there arrives a time which is too advanced to allow the growth of the plant 

 to proceed as far as the " shooting " of its ears in that year. In the case 

 of the early or rapid-growing " Fife " wheat this period is as late as July, 

 while for late, slow-developing forms, such as Swan and Dawson's Golden 

 Chaff, it is as early as the middle of April. 



If sowing occurs after these critical periods, the plants grow and tiller 

 extensively but do not " shoot " ; they behave as if they had cognisance 

 of the want of time to carry their development to the " earing " stage in 

 that season, and remain short leafy tufts through the summer and succeed- 



