A TRIUMPH OF MENDELISM IN WHEAT BREEDING. 49 
In cross-breeding strong with weak varieties it was 
found that in the F 2 generation it was not difficult to pick 
out those which had inherited the quality of strength. 
In crossing strong red on weak white the "four groups — 
strong red, strong white, weak red, weak white — appeared 
in a reasonably near approach to the 9:3:3:! ratio re- 
quired in accord with Mendel’s law, He gave evidence 
to show that by working on Mendelian lines fixed varieties 
could be secured in the F 2 generation. 
Towards the close of his paper he mentioned the work 
of Mr. Farrer, of New South Wales, in using the Indian Fife 
as a parent and securing crossbreds with all the strength 
of the Fife. The most noteworthy of these is Comeback 
which even when grown in England retains its quality of 
strength. He then says : — 
“ These results . . . show that the problem of breeding strong 
wheats suitable for English conditions should offer no special 
difficulties. The question has, however, been repeatedly raised as to 
whether it is possible to grow sufficiently large crops per acre of such 
wheats the assumption being freely made that the capacity to yield 
large crops is associated with the production of starchy grain.” 
He concluded his paper by expressing the opinion 
that high yielding capacity and strength could be 
obtained in the same variety. 
It is perhaps desirable to recall the fact that in 
crossing two varieties of plants or animals no new character 
can be introduced. New characters come by mutations. 
All that crossing can do is to bring about a redistribution of 
character already present in one or other of the parents. 
Sometimes characters may have been hidden for generations 
so that their presence is not suspected until the segregation 
produced by the cross enables them to reappear. 
The Mendelian breeder knows this to be law and his 
work is to determine the characters and combine them for 
his purpose. Fairer did it by long and patient labour, aided 
by intuitive insight and experience. Professor Biffin does 
it by mapping out beforehand what he wants and planning 
where he is to get it, and then works out his problem by the 
application of known law's. That is what Mendelism is 
doing. Much has yet to be learned because the characters 
in a type of w'heat are very complicated. Thus in the 
straw we have such characters as long, short, strong, weak, 
solid, hollow, white, dark, and so forth. In the ear we have 
great variation in shape, from the club to the long tapering 
ear, tight chaff, open chaff, and so on. In the grain there 
is the shape, size, colour, hardness, softness, strength, etc 
The knowledge that these segregate according to law is a 
vast step. It is another immense advance to know definitely 
when a character will breed true ; but it still requires mucp 
