16 
NURSERY EXPERIMENTS. 
Large numbers of varieties of both domestic and foreign origin 
have been compared in the nursery. In general, the results agree 
fairly well with those from the plat experiments. In the miscellane- 
ous group of wheats, which comprises both common and durum 
varieties, Chul, Propo, Baart, and Pacific Bluestem (White Aus- 
tralian) have been the leading varieties. The Australian group, 
consisting of Australian varieties, many of them very high yielders, 
has been described in a previous bulletin. 4 In addition to the 
three Federation varieties, Canberra has been a high-yielding variety 
in the nursery and has been advanced to the plat experiments. 
The early work in selection of pure lines was done primarily to 
purify existing varieties, many of which were badly mixed. In 1917 
numerous pure lines of Pacific Bluestem were selected from com- 
mercial fields in the Sacramento Valley and the adjoining coastal 
districts. Apparently these have yielded no better than the unse- 
lected variety. Several of the highest yielding selections, however, 
are being continued through the season of 1922. 
A few hybrids were grown in 1910 from crosses made in 1906. Over 
500 rows of hybrid material, developed cooperatively by Dr. C. E. 
Leighty, agronomist in charge of eastern wheat investigations, 
and Dr. H. H. Love, of the department of plant breeding, Cornell 
University Agricultural Experiment Station, were grown in 1916. 
This material consisted of intergroup crosses between common, 
durum, emmer, and spelt wheats. A smaller series has been grown 
in each succeeding % year. 
Recently an extensive project in producing hybrids has been 
inaugurated at Chico. It will be discussed under the heading 
"Hybridization experiments." 
Extensive wheat-classification nurseries have been grown in the 
seven years from 1915 to 1921, inclusive. Chico has been a good place 
to grow material for classification studies on account of its favorable 
climate, where hardy as well as tender material can be grown equally 
well from fall and winter seeding. Detailed agronomic notes on 
habits of growth, heading, ripening, disease resistance, etc., have 
been taken also on this material. Each year a minute study of the 
botanic characters of the mature plants has been made by specialists. 
The results are in part the basis for a recent publication. 5 
Leading Varieties of Wheat. 
PACIFIC BLUESTEM. 
This variety was introduced into California from Australia in the 
early fifties under the name White Australian. It is identical with 
a variety known as Pacific Bluestem, which was introduced into 
Oregon in the eighties. It is a tall, moderately strong-strawed 
beardless wheat with white chaff and white straw and midsized soft to 
semihard white kernels which do not shatter easily. It has maintained 
its importance on account of its yielding capacity coupled with fairly 
good milling and bread-making qualities. The variety also appears 
able to withstand excess moisture during the occasional wet winters. 
« Clark, J. Allen. Stephens. David E.. and Florell, Victor H. Australian Wheat Varieties in the Pacific 
Coast Area. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bui. s?:. 25 p.. 3 pi. 1920. 
s Clark. J. Allen, Martin, John H.. and Ball, Carleton R. The Classification of American Wheat Varieties. 
U. S. Dept. Agr., Bui. 1074, 23S p., 7<i fie., 60 pi. 1922. Literature cited, p. 219-230. 
