6o Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [april, 



Red Fife combined with the high cropping capacity of the common 

 English wheats. Professor Biff en's conclusion from the investigations, 

 as far as they are reported in this communication, is that strength is a 

 character transmitted in accordance with Mendelian principles. Know- 

 ledge of the mode of inheritance of high- and low-yielding capacities is 

 at present fragmentary, but certain of the strong-grained hybrids raised 

 gave mean yields of 33 bushels per acre, which was equal to those of 

 the high-yielding English parents, Red Lammas and Rough Chaff, while 

 that of Red Fife, the strong-grained parent, was 20 bushels. Conse- 

 quently little doubt is entertained that high-yielding capacity and 

 strength can be combined in the same variety, and the problem of 

 breeding strong wheats suitable for English conditions should, it is 

 considered, offer no special difficulties. 



The Development of the Grain of Wheat (Jour. Agr. Science, Vol. 

 III., Pt. 2, Oct., 1909.)— This paper, by A. D. Hall and W. E. 

 Brenchley, deals with the progressive changes in the composition of 

 the grain of wheat during its formation and ripening. A large number 

 of heads of wheat were marked on one day when they were just 

 putting out their first flowers, so that it could be assumed that they 

 were all of the same age, and at the same stage of development. One 

 hundred or more of these marked heads were then taken at intervals 

 of three days until the grain was fully ripe ; the grain was extracted 

 and analysed, and in one case the straw was also analysed. 



On examination of the curves expressing the results the authors 

 distinguish three stages — the formation of the pericarp, the filling of 

 the endosperm, and the ripening process. The material forming the 

 pericarp contains a larger proportion of nitrogen in the dry matter, and 

 a smaller proportion of phosphoric acid in the ash, than does the 

 endosperm material. As soon as the endosperm begins to fill, the plant 

 moves into it material that is practically uniform in composition at 

 all stages, early and late, in the filling. There appears to be no justifi- 

 cation for the opinion usually held that the proteins are moved in first 

 and the carbohydrates later. The ripening process is in the main one 

 of desiccation, although there is some change from non-protein to 

 protein. It is incidentally shown that both the nutrition and assimila- 

 tion of the plant continue to a much later date than has been usually 

 supposed. The total amount of dry matter, nitrogen, and ash in the 

 plant increases to within a fortnight of harvest. The authors conclude 

 that it would be safe to cut wheat at an earlier stage than is usual, 

 whereby certain mechanical losses by shedding, birds, &c, might be 

 avoided, though it is not certain that a fresh difficulty might not be 

 introduced if an increased time were required to bring the cut corn into 

 a fit condition for stacking. 



Varieties of Wheat (Edinburgh and E. of Scotland Coll.. of Agr., 

 Bull. 18.) — These tests were made in 1908-9 on three farms in South- 

 Eastern Scotland. As the size of the grain varies considerably in 

 different varieties approximately the same number of grains of each 

 variety were sown instead of a measured quantity, the number of grains 

 to the acre being that contained in 4 bushels of White Chaff Squarehead. 

 By this method the rate of sowing worked out approximately as 

 follows : — White Chaff Squarehead (East Lothian seed), 4 bushels ; 

 White Chaff Squarehead (Essex seed), 4 bushels ; Standard Red, 4i 



