CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN WHEAT VARIETIES. 



77 



WALKER. 



Description. — Plant winter habit, early to midseason, midtall to tall; stem 

 white, strong; spike awnless, oblong-fusiform, middense, inclined; glumes 

 glabrous, white, short, wide; shoulders midwide to wide, oblique to square; 

 beaks wide, obtuse, 0.5 mm. long ; apical awns few, 3 to 10 mm. long ; kernels 

 pale red, midsized, soft, ovate; germ midsized; crease midwide, middeep; 

 cheeks rounded; brush small, midlong. 



Walker differs from Zimmerman in being slightly later and taller and has 

 a more inclined spike, wider glumes, and larger kernels and germ. Spikes, 

 glumes, and kernels of the Walker wheat are shown in Plate XV, B. 



History. — The origin of Walker is undetermined. It is known to be an old 

 variety of the eastern United States and was being replaced by Tappahannock 

 in Jackson County, N. C, in 1871 (8, p. 131). 



Distribution. — Grown in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, 

 Tennessee, and Texas. This distribution is shown in Figure 26. 



HARVEST QUEEN. 



Description. — Plant winter habit, midseason, tall; stem white, strong; spike 

 awnless, oblong, dense, erect to inclined ; glumes glabrous, white, midlong, mid- 

 wide; shoulders wide, oblique to square; 

 beaks wide, obtuse, 0.5 mm. long; apical 

 awns few, 3 to 10 mm. long; kernels dull 

 red, midlong, soft, ovate; germ midsized; 

 crease midwide to wide, middeep; cheeks 

 rounded; brush midsized, midlong. 



This variety is distinct in having tall, 

 bright, strong straw and a thick oblong 

 spike. Spikes, glumes, and kernels of this 

 variety are shown in Plate XVI, A. 



History. — The name Harvest Queen was 

 used early for a white wheat, but this use 

 apparently has been discontinued. The 

 earlier names under which the wheat de- 

 scribed above was known were Black Sea, 

 Oregon Red, and Red Cross. The name 

 Harvest Queen is claimed by E. S. Marshall, 9 



of De Soto, Kans., to have been applied to the variety by him. He selected a 

 tall promising stool of the wheat from some other variety in 1895, increased it 

 in 1896, and named it in 1897. Mr. Marshall stated that he selected the name 

 Harvest Queen, because he thought he had a better wheat than Harvest King, 

 which was then being widely advertised by the J. A. Everitt Seed Co., of Indian- 

 apolis, Ind. For several years he and his father, Conrad Marshall, continued to 

 select the variety. Most of the Harvest Queen grown in Johnson County, Kans., 

 and vicinity apparently is from seed originally distributed from the Marshall 

 farm. Harvest Queen wheat was advertised and distributed by the Barteldes 

 Seed Co., of Lawrence, Kans., and by the J. A. Everitt Seed Co., of Indianapolis, 

 Ind. The latter firm (89) claim to have distributed it first in 1896, which 

 scarcely could be possible if Mr. Marshall is correct in his dates. 



Fig. 26. — Outline map of the south- 

 eastern United States,, showing 

 the distribution of Walker wheat 

 in 1919. Estimated area, 24,300 

 acres. 



9 Interview by J. A. Clark, S. C. Salmon, and C. E. Graves, on June 6, 1921. 



