LUTHER BURBANK 



desirable and undesirable qualities of the wheat, 

 enabled Professor Biffen to produce in the third 

 generation a fixed race of wheat having the desired 

 qualities of grain and a plant stem that is immune 

 to the yellow rust. 



The seeds of this new variety being multiplied 

 as rapidly as possible, a wheat was produced that 

 promises to be of enormous importance to the 

 grain growers of England. 



It is obvious that a similar line of experiment 

 should enable the plant developers of other coun- 

 tries to produce new varieties of wheat that will 

 be immune to the various rusts, and thus to rid 

 the agriculturist of one of the pests that of all 

 others has hitherto rendered his calling precarious. 

 Possible Aid From the Wild Wheat 



The greatest difficulty, doubtiess, vdll be to 

 secure varieties of wheat that are immune to the 

 various rusts to utilize in crossbreeding. 



Much further investigation will be needed 

 before we can make sure as to the material that 

 is available. But peculiar interest attaches to the 

 investigations recenfly made by Mr. O. F. Cook, 

 the biometrist in charge of crop acclimatization 

 and adaptation of the U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture, with reference to the wild wheats of Pales- 

 tine, which were discovered by Mr. Aronson, a 

 native of Palestine. 



[72] 



