THE WHEAT CULTTJKIST. 



65 



There are many varieties of wheat, of more or less per- 

 manence — produced by a difference of climate, or by 

 successive sowings of selected grains, with some con- 

 tinued peculiarity observed. Even the compound heads 

 of the Egyptian wheat (see Egyjptian Wheat) produce 

 single spikes after a while." 



The author of the Farmer's Dictionary states that : 

 " The distinction between the winter and summer wheats 

 is one which arises entirely from the season in which 

 they have been usually sown ; for they can readily be 

 converted into each other by sowing earlier or later, and 

 gradually accelerating or retarding their growth. The 

 difference in color between red and white wheats is 

 owing chiefly to the soil ; white wheats gradually be- 

 come darker, and ultimately red in some stiff, wet soils, 

 and the red wheats lose their color and become first 

 yellow and then white on rich, hght, and mellow soils. 

 It is remarkable that the grain sooner changes color 

 than the chaff and straw : hence we have red wheats with 

 white chaff, and white wheats with red chaff', which on 

 the foregoing principle is readily accounted for. The 

 chaff" retains the original color when the skin of the 

 grain has already changed to another. We state this 

 on our own experience." 



J. H. Klippart, in his Wheat Plant, says : "To con- 

 vert winter into spring wheat, nothing more is necessary 

 than that the winter wheat should be allowed to germi- 

 nate slightly in the fall or winter, but kept from vegeta- 

 tion by a low temperature or freezing, until it can be 

 sown in the spring. This is usually done by soaking 

 and sprouting the seed, and freezing it while in this 

 state, and keeping it frozen until the season for spring 

 sowing has arrived. Only two things seem requisite, 



