110 



FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



it is grown to some extent in Russia, Germany, Italy, 

 Spain, and in a very limited way in other countries. 



94. Common wheat. — As the name indicates, this 

 is the type most commonly grown in the wheat-growing 

 countries of the world. The botanical 

 characters of this type have been dis- 

 cussed in the preceding paragraph. The 

 cultural methods and uses will be dis- 

 cussed in the following pages of the chapter. 

 95. Club wheat. — This type of wheat 

 gets its name from the short, compact 

 heads, which are either square or larger 

 at the top and taper toward the base. 

 In this type of wheat the spikelets are 

 very close together on the rachis, so close 

 that sometimes they almost stand at right 

 angles to it. Three or four grains usu- 

 ally develop in each spikelet. They 

 may be either white or red, the color 

 depending upon the variety. Club wheat 

 has a short, stiff straw, which is less 

 liable to lodge than the varieties of 

 common wheat. It is also less likely 

 to shatter, because the glumes hold the 

 kernels more tightly, and even when 

 the crop is fully ripe, little shattering 

 occurs during harvesting. This type of wheat, therefore, 

 is well adapted to the Pacific Coast region, where, on 

 account of the absence of rainfall, it may be, and often 

 is, left standing in the field for several weeks after ripening 

 before it is harvested. Club wheats are heavy yielders 

 as compared with the common wheats. While the heads 

 are short, the spikelets are close together, and more 



Fig. 38. — Club 

 wheat. 



