21 



kernels by placing them over openings through which the light might pass 

 according to the transparency of the kernel. A hard, glassy and therefore 

 more transparent kernel in wheat was considered of better quality than a 

 mealy, opaque kernel, while in barley the latter type of kernel was believed 

 to be more suitable for the brewer. 



The final valuation of a sort must naturally depend largely upon field Final 

 trials and a laboratory analysis of the product. Such trials and analyses valuation of 

 have occupied a prominent place at Svalof from the beginning and will be soris - 

 discussed more in detail later. 



Results from Continuous Mass-Selection. 



During the first period in the development of the work, efforts were 

 naturally directed toward the alleviation of the most pressing needs of the Efforts to 

 farmers. Among these needs was that for a Chevalier barley with a stiff er devel P a 

 straw. This sort was considered at the time to be without an equal in quality gir , 

 for brewing purposes but had the one serious defect of lodging under com- i ype O f 

 paratively slight provocation. Repeated selections were therefore made of Chevalier 

 those plants which possessed heads of the greatest density in accordance Barley by 

 with the prevailing idea that a definite relation existed between density of mass ~ selec - 



ttOTt 



head and strength of straw. All attempts in this direction however proved 

 futile and were finally abandoned. This failure is attributed to the fact that 

 the Chevalier in question was a pedigree sort produced by Hallet of England 

 and as such, possessed a degree of constancy which precluded the possibility 

 of effecting improvements by means of the system practised. On the other 

 hand, had this sort actually been a common mixed variety it is doubtful if 

 any progress in the desired direction would have been made since it has been 

 shown that ho absolute relation exists between compactness of head and 

 strength of straw. Thus the failure to produce a stiff strawed Chevalier by 

 continuous mass-selection cannot be accepted as an evidence of defects 

 peculiar to this system alone although DeVries has regarded it as such (79 

 p. 64). 



Other selections of heads of varying specific densities were made from 

 the Native Plumage barley. "This variety," says Bolin, "was found to con- 

 tain 10 to 12 different classes in regard to density of head while the different 

 plants showed corresponding differences in manner of growth and structure 

 of straw" (5 p. 60). Thus in 1888 approximately 1000 heads were 

 selected and divided into two main groups representing the two extremes of 

 density while a third group represented the average density of the whole Develop- 

 number (See Fig. 2) . In the group containing the most open heads the ment of Clay 

 density averaged from 40 to 41 and the seed of this group was taken to plant and Moss 

 plot XII j in the Spring of 1889. In the group containing the most compact arle y- 

 heads the density averaged from 45 to 48. The seed from this group sowed 

 plot XII ul in 1889. The group representing the average condition of the 

 whole 1000 heads in regard to compactness averaged 42 to 44. This group 

 sowed plot XII n . An examination of the table will indicate the perfor- 



