16 
BULLETIN 1309, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
WINTER SPELT AND EMMER 
Winter spelt has produced high grain yields at the Arlington Experi- 
ment Farm, and the crop should be grown more extensively in eastern 
Virginia for stock feed. Winter emmer, however, has yielded poorly. 
The kernels of spelt and emmer usually remain inclosed in the glumes, 
giving the grain considerable bulk. The percentage of chaff to whole 
grain in the 1922 crop was 26.7 for Alstroum spelt and 28.6 for Black 
Winter emmer. The average bushel weight of spelt and emmer has 
been approximately 29 pounds, varying from year to year with the 
proportion of grain wliich threshed free from the glumes. Yields of 
grain, however, are figured on the same basis as oats, 32 pounds to 
the bushel. Annual and average yields of spelt and emmer are 
reported in Table 1 1 . 
Table 11. — -Yields of varieties of winter spelt and winter emmer grown at the 
Arlington Experiment Farm in the 14-year period, 1910-1923, inclusive 
Annual and average acre yields (bushels) 
Crop and variety 
C.I. 
No. 
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 
1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 jj^, 
Spelt: 
Alstroum 
Do 
Do 
White Bearded 
(Servia) 
Emmer: 
Black Winter 
White 
Aver- 
age, 
911 1( 
1923 
1773 82. 5 47. 5 73. 3 48. 1 95. S 76. 8 58. 5 100. 2 91. 9 39. 6 72. 9 45. 2 57. 1 77. 5 68. 
3264 _ ... 45. 84. 1 46. 2 100. 6 69. 65. 91.9 87. 7 49. 70. 8 50. 1 66. 9 86. 6 70. 2 
1772 80. 42. 2 74. 9 50. 6 91. 75. 5 54. 4 96. 3 78. 8 38. 3 79. 4 
1724 53. 4 38. 2 70. 45. 3 81. 7 65. 2 68. B 85. 6 
2337 32.2 11.0 28.8 19.2 13. 6 19. 1 30. C 47.2 
3628. .._ ; 6.3 14.5 16.9 
63.9 
25. 8 
13. I 
44. 4 68. 9 
10.8 4.9 
4.8 5.4 
66. 2 66. 9 77. 7 64. S 
10. 19. 2 24. 5 20. 3- 
Difficulty has been experienced in obtaining a good fall stand of 
spelt and emmer in years of light October rainfall; but the spelts 
possess strong tillering ability, and yields of more than 70 bushels 
have followed estimated spring stands of 65 per cent. Growth in 
fall and spring is slow, especially that of emmer, which is the latest 
maturing crop grown in the varietal experiments. 
Two strains of Alstroum spelt (C. I. Xos. 1773 and 3264) and 
White Bearded spelt have been grown continuously for 13 or 14 
years. Alstroum spelt is awnless and a little later in maturing than 
White Bearded. Alstroum (C. I. No. 3264^ has produced the best 
yields, the 13-year average being 70.2 bushels as compared with 64.8 
bushels from White Bearded. Black Winter emmer during the same 
period yielded at the rate of 20.3 bushels per acre. 
Table 12. — Average agronomic data recorded for the two varieties of spelt and one 
of emmer grown at the Arlington Experiment Farm in the 14-year period. 1910- 
1923, inclusive 
Variety 
C. I. Date of 
Xo. maturity 
Acre yields 
Bushel 
. Grain 
Straw 
weight 
Spelt: 
Alstroum 
Bearded Winter .. ... . 
1773 June 24 
1724 June 23 
2337 July 2 
Inches Bushels 
46 69. 1 
48 64.0 
47 21.2 
Pounds 
3,292 
3,327 
1,740 
Pounds 
28.4 
29.0 
Emmer: 
Black Winter 
29.7 
