Notes on Cereals . 
l 9 
repeated selection of the most desirable forms resulted in the 
establishment of the new race “New Era.” 
It may sometimes be desired to introduce into a hybrid 
characters possessed by two forms which will not readily cross, or 
which will not produce fertile offspring. In such a case each form 
is crossed with some other form for which it has “affinity,” as the 
breeders express it, and the resulting offspring are then mated. 
This will in many cases lead to a progeny, some members of which 
possess the desired characters. 
Or suppose again that four varieties are crossed in pairs; the 
progeny of each is fixed and a cross between them is instituted, and 
suppose that some of the offspring show characters which it is 
desired to fix at once, although the progeny as a whole is sporting, 
and will continue to sport for several generations. The desirable 
plants are each crossed back with one of the parents. In this way 
a fixation of the required characters in some of the progeny takes 
place quickly. This is of considerable interest and can be 
co-ordinated with certain facts of cytology. 
The members of the fixed type may deteriorate after several 
generations although they do not change their characters. Cross¬ 
pollination amongst themselves will bring them back to their former 
vigour without causing undue sporting. A slight tendency to 
sporting may be induced, but not sufficient to materially change the 
race. It is of very great interest, however, to note that if the forms 
crossed have been grown under different conditions, although their 
ancestry has been the same, the sporting induced is greater than if 
they had been grown under exactly similar conditions. 
Some Results of Composite Crossing. 
A great defect of all cultivated wheats with the exception of 
T. turgidnm and T. spclta is that the grain tends to drop out when 
ripe. A serious drawback to these two forms of wheat, however, 
is that the rachis breaks up, so that on threshing, the spikelets 
are separated, each attached to a portion of the rachis. By 
crossing any of the cultivated forms of T. sativum with a spelt 
wheat, varieties may be fixed which retain the grain but are without 
the property of breaking up. A breed has been produced which 
will retain its grain for four weeks. This is of great importance for 
large grain-growing countries where the whole of the crop must be 
harvested within the period between ripening and shedding of the 
grain. In Australia, where the grain is harvested by the stripper 
