DISCOVEEY OF MARQUIS WHEAT 233 



add $3,000,000 for fruit, we obtain $20,000,000 wMcli 

 we may consider to be a rougb estimate of Burbank's total 

 contribution to the annual crop values of tbe United 

 States. Tbis sum is only an approximation to tbe trutb ; 

 it may be too small and it may be too large ; but even if 

 we were to multiply it by ten, it would still fall far short 

 of tbe $600,000,000 wbicb is tbe estimated crop value of 

 Marquis wbeat for tbe year 1918. 



XXVII. Burbank's Quality Wheat as a Possible Com- 

 petitor of Marquis 



Having beard tbat Lutber Burbank was introducing 

 some new varieties of wbeat, I wrote to tbe great plant 

 breeder for particulars concerning them. Mr. Burbank, 

 in reply, kindly informed me tbat be bad added my name 

 to tbe sixty-five tbousand otbers wbo receive bis catalogues 

 and circulars, and called attention to wbat be described 

 as " my best wbeat " to wbicb be bas given tbe name 

 Quality. He also communicated to me tbe interesting in- 

 formation tbat Quality " is a derivative of Prize Marquis " 

 and tbat it was " secured by many years' selections for 

 certain qualities in wbicb our California wbeats are lack- 

 ing." It is wortby of note tbat Marquis wbicb was orig- 

 inally selected by Dr. Saunders at Ottawa sbould bave been 



grown to a slight extent in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Colorado, the 

 Eusset type prevailing in Nebraska and Colorado; that it is chiefly 

 grown in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys of California and 

 in some portions of Oregon and Washington; and that probably it 

 does not exceed 5 per cent, of the total potato crop of the United 

 States. Mr. Burbank himself in his 1918 New Creations and 

 Special New Selections states that more than 500,000,000 bushels 

 of the Bvtrbank potato have been raised during the past forty years. 

 This is a magnificent total, but assuming that the average price has 

 been as much as 80 cents per bushel, the crop value of the 500,000,000 

 bushels of Burbank potatoes to the growers has been $400,000,000, 

 or two-thirds of $600,000,000, the estimated crop value for Marquis 

 wheat for the single year 1918. 



