144 BULLETIN 1074, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Tliis variety is a few days earlier than Turkey and has a softer kernel. Ex- 

 cept under certain unfavorable weather conditions, the glumes of Blackhull 

 have black stripes on the surface or sometimes are almost entirely black. 



History.— This variety was originated by Earl G. Clark (63), of Sedgwick, 

 Kans., as a selection from a field of Turkey. He states : 



The Clark's Black Hull wheat is a wonderful hardy variety of wheat that 

 I have developed from three black heads found in 1912. It has proven superior 

 to all other varieties of winter wheat. 



The variety was first distributed by Mr. Clark in the fall of 1917. 

 Distribution. — Grown in Harvey County, Kans. 



Synonym. — Black Chaff. This name is occasionally used for the Blackhull 

 variety. 



TURKEY (TURKEY RED). 



Description. — Plant winter habit, midseason, midtall; stem white, slender, 

 weak ; spike awnless, fusiform, middense, inclined ; glumes glabrous, white, 

 midlong, nridwide; shoulders wanting to narrow, oblique; beaks 2 to 8 mm. 

 long ; awns 3 to S cm. long ; kernels dark red, midlong, hard, ovate to elliptical ; 

 germ small ; crease narrow to midwide, middeep ; cheeks rounded ; brush small, 

 midlong. 



This variety is winter hardy and drought resistant, which accounts for its 

 wide cultivation. The first leaves of the stool are narrow and of a dark- 

 green color. The kernels are usually distinguishable because of their dark-red 

 color and small germ. A spike, glumes, and kernels of Turkey wheat are shown 

 in Plate XL, A, and a single spike in Plate IV, Figure 5. 



History. — Turkey is the name most commonly used for the Crimean group 

 of hard winter wheats grown in the United States. Many histories of this 

 wheat have been written. That recorded by Carleton (60, p. 298-399) is given 

 here, however, as he introduced many strains and spent much time in an at- 

 tempt to determine accurately the history of the wheat. 



The original home of hard winter wheat is in the area of Russia just north 

 and east of the Black Sea and north of the Caucasus Mountains. The area 

 includes chiefly the governments of Taurida ( including the Crimea ) , Ekaterino- 

 slav, Kharkof, and Stavropol, and the Don and Kuban territories. In that 

 region the wheat is generally called simply winter wheat, but is known locally 

 by various names as Krimka (Crimean), Kharkof, Beloglina, Ulta, Torgova, 

 etc. . . . 



The history of hard winter wheat in the United States is closely associated 

 with the movement of Russian Mennonite immigrants to the middle Great 

 Plains. These people originally went from west Prussia to southern Russia 

 about 1770 because of certain land grants and civil privileges offered by the 

 Government under Empress Catherine. One hundred years later their de- 

 scendants desiring further advantages to be obtained in America emigrated 

 to the middle Great Plains and settled principally in Kansas. The greater 

 number were from the Molochna colonies in northern Taurida, but some were 

 from the Crimea proper, and others from Ekaterinoslav. The first settlements 

 in Kansas were made in 1873, near Newton, Halstead, and Moundridge. Each 

 family brought over a bushel or more of Crimean wheat for seed, and from this 

 seed was grown the first crop of Kansas hard winter wheat. Bernard War- 

 kentin, a miller, who erected mills at Newton and Halstead. was chiefly in- 

 strumental in introducing the Turkey wheat, but in this pioneer movement of 

 the Mennonites two other men were associated, Christian Krehbiel, first a 

 farmer, but who later in 1886 erected a mill at Moundridge, and C. B. Schmidt, 

 acting as immigration agent for the Santa Fe Railroad. 



Distribution. — Grown in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, 

 Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis- 

 souri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, 



