172 
Origin of Wheat, 
talnino^ only one or two grains, which ripened late ; all the other 
spikelets were sterile by abortion. As a result, I obtained five 
grains for one, and the grains were close, concave, and very hairy 
at the top. Tlie ears were deciduous, that is to say, they 
broke and fell off as soon as ripe. Each valve of the glume had 
only two .awns, of which one was shorter than the other. In 
one plant, one of these awns became abortive, and there only 
remained one to each valve of the glume. On others there were 
some glumes with a long and some with a short beard. More- 
over, these plants had exactly the appearance of Touzelle wheat. 
In all of them the angles of the rachis were strongly ciliated. 
Second year, 1840. — In 1839 there was a second sowing. In 
1840, at harvest time, the spikelets were more numerous than 
before, and contained two grains. The valves of the glume ter- 
minated in two awns, of which one was four or five times 
shorter than the other, and was sometimes reduced to a mere 
tooth. The fruit (grains) was less compact, less concave, and 
less hairy at the end. The angles of the rachis were less ciliated, 
and the ears less deciduous, i.e. they fell off less easily. The grains 
contained much more flour than those of the preceding year. 
Third year, 1841.- — -The seeds sown in the autumn of 1840 
gave in 1841 plants with ears like those of Triticum, and with 
scarcely any sterile spikelets ; the spikelets generally contained 
two grains, sometimes three, less compact, less concave, and less 
hairy than those of the preceding year. 
The valves of the glume had two awns, one of whidi was very 
long, and the other so completely abortive as almost to justify a 
statement that the awns were single. The plants became more 
and more like Triticum in appearance. 
Fourth year, 1842. — The seeds sown in 1841 yielded plants 
which were attacked by rust. The ears of these plants were 
remarkable for the small development of the awn, which gave 
them the appearance of beardless Touzelle. There were twenty 
ears which did not yield a single grain. 
Those plants which did not suffer from the attack of rust pro- 
duced deciduous ears, the awns of which were less abortive: there 
were as many as three flowers in the same spikelct, and they 
yielded two or three good grains, hairy, but slightly, at their apex. 
Fiftli year, 1843. — In 1843 the plants, from the seed sown in 
1842, attained the height of a yard. One of the two awns of the 
valves of the glume was so short and rudimentary, that these 
valves may be said to have had but one awn. 
In each spikelet were two fertile flowers at least, sometimes 
three. The corn or grains were so well developed that they were 
partly exposed through the valves of the florets. The ears were 
less fragile. The plants were exactly like wheat in appearance. 
