THE ORIGIN OF RED BOBS 273 



collecting the data of the history of his selections, and in 

 discussing his methods of work. The crops were in the 

 most interesting condition, fast ripening and some ready 

 to cut. The three chief kinds of wheat in the head-row 

 plots and the only ones in the /4-acre plots were Marquis, 

 Kitchener, and Red Bobs, and it was upon these that Mr. 

 Wheeler was evidently concentrating his chief attention; 

 but he was also testing three winter wheats, namely Kanred 

 which originally came from Kansas, a selection of his own 

 of Turkey Red, and Winter-Spring, a wheat which orig- 

 inated on his farm in an uncertain manner. Mr. Wheeler 

 was not confining his attention to wheat only, for he was 

 making selections of oats, barley, potatoes, clovers, al- 

 falfa, brome-grass, and western rye-grass; and in his 

 plots were to be seen rows of soy-beans and com which, 

 however, do not as a rule grow well so far north and were 

 this year a partial failure. His smaller plots, in the 

 garden by the side of his house, were protected by trees 

 and hedges of Russian poplar, etc., which had been 

 planted in rows so as to form wind screens. 



Mr. Wheeler proved an admirable guide and, withal, 

 unassuming, courteous, ready to answer all the numerous 

 questions of his visitor, and also eager to receive any 

 information bearing upon his own work. As he passed 

 from plot to plot, pointing out the qualities of the plants 

 in each, it became evident that he was whole-heartedly ab- 

 sorbed in the task of raising new and improved cereals ; 

 and, quite unconsciously, in his conversation and manner, 

 he exhibited an otherworldliness to a degree not often 

 met with in such practical men as farmers. The writer 

 could not help but feel that there was uppermost in Mr. 

 Wheeler's mind not the thought of monetary reward but 

 the hope of originating something of high value to west- 

 em agriculture. 



