CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN WHEAT VARIETIES. 
125 
The wheat now grown in the Northwest, ordinarily known as a Bluestem, 
was grown 40 years ago (1855) in some Eastern States as a Red Winter 
wheat. Being semihard wlien grown in the East, since being clianged into a 
spring wheat and grown in the hard-wheat district of the Nortliwest, it is 
now hard and the berry as beautiful an amber as can be found. . . . 
In 18S2 a friend recommended this wheat to me so highly that I was induced 
to try it. I bought some and sowed it that year, and grew it again in 1883. 
I was much pleased with its strong growth and good yield, but one difficulty 
had to be overcome. It evidently had not had the necessary care to keep it 
pure and had become mixed with soft and bearded wheats, which rendered 
it quite objectionable for sowing. To overcome this objection I resolved to 
grow it pure, knowing that it would take years to do it, yet I thought it would 
repay the time and trouble in the end. I accordingly commenced by planting 
in my garden in 188-4 the grains from two good heads, having three kernels 
abreast, hoeing it as it grew. While it was growing, in studying over the 
matter I came to the conclusion that " blood would tell "' in the vegetable as 
well as the animal kingdom by propagating from the best. 
From the product of these two heads I rejected the latest and poorest heads, 
using only the best and earliest for use upon my trial grounds. . . . 
The trial grounds are planted each year with wheat from the choicest heads 
of the previous year and cultivated, the product being carefully selected, 
head by head, and the crop, except what is necessary to replant the ground, 
is sown with the field grain, thereby causing gradual improvement from year 
to year." 
Mr. Haynes distributed this wheat widely throughout the Dakotas and Min- 
nesota for several years, starting about 1892. As shown in this history. Blue- 
stem wheat was grown in the 
Dakotas before Mr. Haynes origi- 
nated his strain. As he has 
recorded, it probably was grown 
in the eastern United States as 
a winter wheat before being 
grown as a spring wheat in the 
Northwest. Haynes Bluestem 
wheat was further improved by 
the Minnesota Agricultural Ex- 
periment Station. A pure-line 
selection, first known as Minne- 
sota No. 169, was developed and 
distributed by that institution in 
the late nineties {109, p. 69-72). 
Bluestem. and is now 
Fig. 49. — Outline map of the nortli-centnil 
United States,, showing- the distribution of 
Haynes Bluestem wheat in 1919. Estimated 
area, 1,530,800 acres. 
This strain also has been known as HajTies 
the principal strain grown under that name. The name 
Bluestem now is most commonly used for this whole group of Bluestem wheats 
and also as a farm name for the variety. This is correct in some cases. As the 
original Bluestem and the strains and pure lines can not be distinguished from 
each other, the name Haynes Bluestem is used here to distinguish this wheat 
from five other important varieties of wheat commonly known as Bluestem in 
the United States and to retain its identity with the old and well-known name 
Bluestem. 
Distrihuti07i.— Grown principally as Bluestem in Illinois, Iowa. Michigan, 
Minnesota, Montana. Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and 
Wisconsin. Figure 49 shows the distribution of this variety. 
Synoyujms.— Bluestem, Bolton Bluestem, Marvel Bluestem, Minnesota No. 169. 
Velvet Bluestem. As shown above, Bluestem was the earliest and is still the 
most commonly used name for Haynes Bluestem wheat. Bolton Bluestem was 
obtained originally from Thomas Bolton, of Park River, N. Dak., bv the North 
'• The pamphlet was borrowed from Walter R. Reed, of x^menia, N. Dak. 
