



93 
TRITICUM POLONICUM, t. 
POLOGNE OU ASTRAKAN, VIL. 
Synonyms: Polish, Astrakan (Knglish names). 
There is but one variety of this species, hence the descrip- 
tion may all be included under the name of the variety. 
Culms of good size, solid, being filled with cellular tissue, but weak, and 
long before maturity arrives falling to the ground: Panicles bearded toa 
greater or less extent; awns usually short; glumes very large and long, pro- 
iecting far beyond the flowering glumes as a rule, in a very striking manner ; 
whitish-yellow; panicle very long, loose, taperinng: Grain medium pale 
amber, extra long, inclined to be slender, rather shrunken: Thrashes from 
glume rather easily: a spring variety. 
Culm: average height 2 feet 10 inches, tallest plant 3 feet 
11 inches; diameter 1-5 to 1-4 inch, average 1-6. 
Leaves: per culm 4; length 4 1-2 to 14 inches, average 11; 
width of upper leaf 1-4 to 8-4 inch, average 7-16; lower 1-8 
to 3-8 inch, average 1-4. 
Panicle: average length 6 1-2 + inches; thickness 7-8 to 
1 1-4 inch, average 3-4; breadth 7-8 to 1 1-8 inch, average 
3-4; spikelets per panicle average 18; grains per spikelet 1 
to 5, usually 2. : 
Notwithstanding the large size of the panicles of this 
wheat, they are not very productive of grain, most of the 
spikelets usually containing some sterile flowers. This 
variety originally came from South-eastern Asia.! It is 
mostly grown in Northern Africa in Egypt and Algiers. ? 
It is also grown to some extent in Kurope, and has been 
sold in the United States under the names Polish and 
Diamond. It is a hard wheat, and is not a profitable 
variety for this latitude. Its grain is mostly used in fine 
pastry. 
TRITICUM SPELTA, t. 
The grain of this species is enclosed in the flowering glume, 
and remains within it even after thrashing, the panicle 
merely breaking at the various joints of the rachis, separ- 
ating the spikelets, leaving them entire, with the grain en- 
closed within the glumes which are very tough and leathery. 
The panicles are long and slender, and usually have the 
spikelets widely separated. These wheats are commonly 
grown in the less fertile, mountainous regions of HKurope 
and Asia, in Lorraine, in Central Germany, Russia and 
India. The grain makes a very white, fine class of pastry. 
1Les Plantes Alimentaires, Heuze 1872t. 1, p. 124. 
*Les Meilleurs Blés, 1880, p. 144. 


