CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN WHEAT VARIETIES. 105 
GOLD DROP. 
Description—Plant winter habit, early, midtall; stem white, weak to mid- 
strong; spike awnless, short, fusiform, middense, erect to inclined; glumes 
glabrous, brown, short to midlong, midwide to wide; shoulders wide, oblique to 
square; beaks wide, obtuse, 0.5 mm. long; apical awns few, 2 to 10 mm, long; 
kernels red, short to midlong, soft, ovate; germ midsized; crease midwide, mid- 
deep; cheeks rounded; brush small, midlong. 
Gold Drop is distinguished from other wheats of this group by its earliness 
and by the short, fusiform spike. 
History.—This doubtless is the old English variety usually referred to as 
Golden Drop. Koernicke and Werner (133, p. 295) state that this variety was 
pred in 1834 by a Mr. Gorrie, at Annat Garden in Great Britain. It has been 
grown in the United States for many years, being mentioned by Rawson Har- 
mon, of Wheatland, Monroe County, N. Y., in 1848 (103, p. 228). The sam- 
ples furnishing the plants-here described were obtained from Izard County, 
Ark., where farmers state that it has been grown for at least 25 years. 
An improved strain of Golden Drop, called Hallet’s Pedigree Golden Drop, 
was used by Cyrus G. Pringle as one of the parents of Defiance. 
Distribution — Grown as Gold Drop in Arkansas, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, 
and as Littleton in Humphreys County, Tenn. A bearded spring wheat called 
Gold Drop was reported in Iowa. 
Synonyms.—Golden Drop, Littleton. 
HOMER. 
Description——Plant winter habit, midseason, midtall to tall; stem white, 
midstrong; spike awnless, oblong-fusiform', middense, erect to inclined; glumes 
glabrous, brown, midlong, midwide; shoulders midwide, oblique to elevated; 
beaks wide, obtuse, 0.5 to 1.0 mm. long; apical awns few, 2 to 10 mm. long; 
kernels red, midlong, soft, ovate; germs midsized to large; crease wide, mid- 
deep ; cheeks angular; brush small to midsized, midlong, sometimes collared. 
’ Homer differs from Red Wave in having an inclined instead of a nodding 
spike. 
_ History—The origin of this variety is undetermined. The plants described 
were grown from seed obtained from Chatham County, N. C., in 1919, where 
it had been grown for the past 10 years. 
Distribution— Grown in Chatham County, N. C. 
RED WAVE. 
Description.—Plant winter habit, midseason to late; midtall to tall; stem 
white, midstrong; spike broadly fusiform, middense, nodding; glumes glabrous, 
brown, midlong, wide; shoulders wide, rounded to oblique, sometimes nearly 
Square; beaks wide, obtuse, 1 mm. long; apical awns several, 5 to 15 mm. long; 
kernels red, midlong, soft, ovate; germ midsized; crease midwide to wide, mid- 
deep, sometimes pitted; cheeks usually angular; brush midsized, midlong. 
Red Wave is distinguished by the broadly fusiform, nodding spike. It is in- 
ferior to many other soft red winter wheats for milling and bread making. 
Spikes, glumes, and kernels of this variety are Shown in Plate XXVI, A. 
History.—Originated by A. N. Jones, Le Roy, Genesee County, N. Y., in 1906, 
as the result of a cross between Early Red Clawson and an unnamed crossbred 
wheat of Russian parentage (110, 1908). 
Distribution.—Grown in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, 
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, 
