PLANTS AND MAN 
are not only superior in quality and quantity of the crop, 
but are also immune to plant diseases and fitted to thrive 
under climatic conditions which formerly had been un¬ 
favorable to the prosperity of the plants. 
This scientific control of plant evolution, of far-reach¬ 
ing importance in its economic aspects, is based upon 
knowledge of the laws of genetics and the transmission 
of hereditary characters, which began with the experi¬ 
ments of Gregor Mendel, in a monastery garden in 
Austria, about fifty years ago. He blended different 
varieties of sweet pea, and worked out the laws governing 
the appearance of hereditary traits in their offspring. 
These laws have been found to be applicable not only 
to plant but also to animal life. 
Let us glance, now, at some of our well-known friends 
of modern orchards, grain fields, and vegetable gardens, 
and see how far they have wandered from their original 
homes, at the bidding of man. 
Wheat (Triticum rulgare) and Hard Wheat ( Triti - 
cum durum) : There are a number of species of wheat, 
of which these are the most important, under cultivation 
in different parts of the world. Wheat originated per¬ 
haps in Mesopotamia or in Egypt; a small, wild wheat 
still grows in parts of Asia Minor. The cultivation of 
wheat extends far back into prehistoric time. It was 
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