CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN WHEAT VARIETIES. 95 



clined, long (8 to 13 cm.) ; glumes glabrous, white, midlong, midwide; shoulders 

 midwide, oblique to square ; beaks narrow, acute, 1 mm. long ; apical awns few, 

 3 to 6 mm, long ; kernels red, short, semihard, ovate, with truncate tip ; germ 

 midsized ; crease wide, deep ; cheeks angular ; brush midsized, midlong. 



Wellman differs from Red Fife and Glyndon in being slightly taller and hav- 

 ing a much longer and laxer spike and a shorter and softer kernel. Plate XXII. 

 B, shows spikes, glumes, and kernels of this variety. 



History. — Wellman (Wellman's Fife) wheat was developed by D. L. Wellman, 

 of Frazee, Becker County, Minn., from a plant selected out of Red Fife wheat 

 which he called Scotch Fife, the original sample having been obtained from 

 the " Saskatchewan Valley " in Canada. The original sample was a mixture. 

 Several strains from it were grown, and this strain, which was taller and had 

 a much longer and laxer spike, was increased and distributed for the first time, 

 in the spring of 1884, as Wellman's Fife (20). A variety called White Russian 

 was grown by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station (J/6, p. 40) as early 

 as 1879 and by the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station in 1884 (136, p. 

 54). It was grown in varietal experiments at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, for 

 the first time in 1891, while Wellman's Fife was grown at the same station the 

 year previous. The two varieties are identical and have always been con- 

 sidered as synonymous in Canada. It is probable that Mr. Wellman only 

 selected a chance head of this White Russian wheat from his Canadian mixture. 



Distribution. — Wellman's Fife was quite widely grown in the northern Great 

 Plains and Minnesota and in the New England States and New York during 

 the nineties, but since has practically disappeared from cultivation. It w T as 

 reported from Aroostook County, Me. 



Synonyms. — Saskatchewan Fife and White Russian. Saskatchewan Fife 

 was advertised during the nineties as a synonym of W r ellman's Fife by Peter 

 Henderson & Co., seedsmen, of New York City (110). As indicated above, 

 White Russian is an older name for this variety than Wellman and is still used 

 in Canada. 



EARLY EED FIFE. 



Description. — Plant spring habit, early to midseason, midtall; stem usually 

 white, sometimes showing a faint tinge of purple, strong ; spike awnless, linear- 

 oblong, sometimes becoming subclavate ; middense, erect ; glumes glabrous, yel- 

 lowish white, midlong, narrow to midwide ; shoulders wanting to narrow, ob- 

 lique ; beaks narrow, obtuse, 1 mm. long ; apical awns several, 3 to 30 mm. long ; 

 kernels red, midlong, hard, ovate ; germ midsized ; crease midwide to wide, shal- 

 low to deep ; cheeks angular ; brush midsized, midlong. 



Early Red Fife differs from other Fife strains in being earlier and in having 

 a linear-oblong instead of a fusiform spike. The kernels also have a somewhat 

 shallower crease. 



History. — This is an early-ripening selection of Red Fife w^heat, made and de- 

 veloped by Dr. C. E. Saunders, Dominion cerealist, at the Central Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa, Canada, where it has been grown since 1908 (166, p. 202-203). 



Distribution. — Grown commercially in Canada and experimentally in Mon- 

 tana and North Dakota. 



GHIRKA (GHIRKA SPRING). 



Description. — Plant spring habit, early, midtall ; leaves pubescent ; stem glau- 

 cous when immature, usually purple, sometimes only faintly so, midstrong ; spike 

 awnless, linear-fusiform, middense, inclined to nodding ; glumes glabrous, white, 

 long, narrow ; shoulders wanting to narrow, oblique ; beaks narrow, acute, 1 

 mm. long; apical awns few, 3 to 6 mm. long; kernels pale red, midlong, semi- 



