332 CEREAL PLANTS. CuAP. IX. 



Tiew to tlie several species of wheat, if such ever existed in a state 

 of nature. 



Although few of the varieties of wheat present any conspicuous 

 difference, their number is great. Dalbret cultivated during thirty 

 years from 150 to 160 kinds, and excepting in the quality of the 

 grain they all kept true ; Colonel Le Couteur i^ossessed upwards of 

 150, and Philippar 322 varieties.^^ As wheat is an annual, we thus 

 see how strictly many trifling differences in character are inherited 

 through many generations. Colonel Le Couteur insists strongly on 

 this same fact. In his persevering and successful attempts to raise 

 new varieties, he founa that there was only one " secure mode to 

 " ensure the growth of pure sorts, namely, to grow theni' from single 

 " grains or from single ears, and to follow up the plan by afterwards 

 " sowing only the produce of the most productive so as to form a 

 " stock." But Major Hallett^- has gone much farther, and by the 

 continued selection of plants from the grains of the same ear, 

 during successive generations, has made his ' Pedigree in Wheat ' 

 (and other cereals) now famou.s in many quarters of the world. 

 The great amount of variability in the plants of the same 

 variety is another interesting point, which would never have 

 been detected except by an eye long practised to the work; 

 thus Colonel Le Couteur relates ^^ that in a field of his own 

 wheat, which he considered at least as pure as that of any of his 

 neighbours, Professor La Gasca found twenty-three sorts; and 

 Professor Henslow has observed similar facts. Besides such in- 

 dividual variations, forms sufficiently well marked to be valued and 

 to become widely cultivated sometimes suddenly appear: thus 

 Mr. Shirreff has had the good fortune to raise in his lifetime seven 

 new varieties, which are now extensively grown in many parts of 

 Britain.''* 



As in the case of many other plants, some varieties, both old and 

 new, are far more constant in character than others. Colonel Le 

 Couteur was forced to reject some of his new sub-varieties, which 

 he suspected had been produced from a cross, as incorrigibly 

 sportive. On the other hand Major Hallett ^° has shown how wonder- 

 fully constant some varieties are, although not ancient ones, and al- 

 though cultivated in various countries. With respect to the tendency 

 to vary, Metzger '"^ gives from his own experience some interesting 

 facts : he describes three Spanish sub-varieties, more especially one 



^' For Dalbret and Philippar, see Economy of Yorkshire,' vol. ii. p. 9, 



Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, ' Consid. sur remarks that " in every field of corn 



les Cereales,' pp. 45, 70. Le Couteur there is as much variety as iu a herd 



on Wheat, pp. 6, 14-17. of cattle." 



^- See his Essay on 'Pedigree in ^* 'Gardener's Chron.' and 'Agri- 

 Wheat,' 1862 ; also paper read before cult. Gazette,' 1862, p. 963. 

 the British Association, 1869, and ^^ 'Gardener's Chron.' Nov. 1868, 

 other publications. p. 1199. 



33 ' Varieties of Wheat,' Introduc- ^e ' Getreidearten,' 1841, s. 66, 91- 



tion, p. vi. Marshall, in his 'liural 92, 116, 117, 



