COEN. 
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ought to be regarded as races of this species. If this be admitted, it is easy 
to reconcile the accounts given of the origin of wheat. It has been said, 
both in ancient and in modem times, that wheat was wild in Babylonia, Persia, 
and Sicily. In all these countries JEgilops is common, and it is not surprising 
that some of its species may have accidentally acquired a wheat-like form, 
and have been afterwards improved and propagated by cultivation. Thus to 
M. Esprit? Fabre is due the merit of having ascertained the true origin of 
cultivated wheat. Its origin had, it is true, been suspected and vaguely 
pointed out by several persons ; but the honour of a discovery is really due, 
not to the authors of a surmise, but to him who has established the fact by 
observation, experiment, or reasoning, leaving no room for further doubt.” 
Now, it was the description of these experiments that deter- 
mined us to obtain some of the seeds of the 2E. ovata, and 
submit them to cultivation. Our first sowing was in the year 
1855, in the experimental garden of the Royal Agricultural 
College ; but, probably owing to the cold climate of the Cottes- 
wolds, upon which chain the College is situate, the annual 
changes were but slight ; but in the warm summer of 1859 
our plot of specimens had made great advances, which may be 
best explained by reference to our engraving'. 
Fig. 3 represents a spikelet of a type of JEcjilogs ovata such 
as we introduced into our garden. 
Fig. 4. A spikelet of the same kind of grass modified by 
cultivation, 1859. 
Fig. 5. An ear of bearded wheat. 
Our crop of last year had not improved, but it is curious to 
note that this wet season produced in this grass all the ordinary 
blights on the stalks, leaves, and ears that usually belong to 
degenerate or badly grown wheat crops in this country, and 
more particularly those black dots of fungi on the stems and 
leaves called mildew. 
Due reflection, coupled with the experiments to which reference 
has here been made, especially when combined with the tradi- 
tion that the gift of wheat corn came from the East, would lead 
to the inference that a wild eastern grass was operated upon by 
the cultivator in very early times — indeed, at a period so remote as 
to be referred to the ancient gods ; and the result was the pro* 
duction of a grain probably not so good as we grow in these days 
of advanced agriculture, but one in which the necessary changes 
were brought about from the large-seeded JEgilops to a still 
larger and so useful grain ; and this transformation would of 
course be accelerated by the warm climate in which it was 
effected. 
The subject of the production of new varieties of wheat is one 
of great national importance ; for inasmuch as our wheat, like 
most other plants of cultivation, are but derivative forms or 
induced varieties, it follows that with long growth in any one 
district a particular sort is liable to become degenerate. 
