UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1197 
Washington, D. C. 
February, 1924 
EXPERIMENTS WITH EMMER, SPELT, AND EINKORN. 
By John H. Martin and Clyde E. Leighty, Agronomists, Office of Cereal Investiga- 
tions, Bureau of Plant Industry. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Characteristics of emmer, spelt, and einkorn . 1 
History 3 
Distribution 4 
Bushel weight 6 
Composition of emmer, spelt, and einkorn 7 
Uses of emmer, spelt, and einkorn 7 
Varieties 9 
Varietal experiments 14 
Page. 
Results in the South Atlantic area 17 
Results in the Mississippi and St. Lawrence 
Valleys 20 
Results in the Great Plains area 30 
Results in the Western Basin and Coast area . 43 
Cultural experiments 49 
Summary 53 
Conclusions 56 
Literature cited 57 
INTRODUCTION. 
Emmer has been grown to a considerable extent in the United 
States during the past 25 years. Some spelt also has been grown. 
Both crops are now declining in importance, but some interest still 
is maintained by occasional high yields on farms or by exaggerated 
statements by promo tors who have seed for sale. 
Both emmer and spelt usually are referred to by farmers and seeds- 
men as "speltz." The names "Russian oats/' "spelz," and "spiltz" 
also have been used. In Germany the two crops are referred to col- 
lectively as "Spelzweizen" (spelt wheats) and in Russia as "polba, " 
although this means spelt. Emmer (Triticum sativum dicoccum) is 
known in Germany as "emmer" and in France as "amidonnier. ,} 
Spelt (Triticum sativum spelta), is called "Spelt" or "Dinkel 75 in 
Germany and "epeautre" in France. As emmer and spelt are dis- 
tinct crops, the word "speltz" should be discarded, and they should 
be known by their proper names. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF EMMER, SPELT, AND EINKORN. 
Emmer, spelt, and einkorn are distinct kinds of wheat, as is indi- 
cated by the different numbers of chromosomes in the cells. They are 
distinguished from other wheats by the fact that most of the kernels 
are|not removed from the chaff (glumes) in threshing. In all three 
Note.— The manuscript for this bulletin was submitted for publication May 18, 1923. 
59274— 24— Bull. 1197 1 
