The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-10-11
Kansas Bred Wheat.
From the Kansas City Journal.


Do you know how new varieties of wheat
are bred? In the Halstead Independent
Mr.. L. Fitz, in charge of the Government
experiment station at Halstead, writes in-
terestingly Of how this work is done. The
station at Halstead is experimenting with
the small grains and nothing else. This
year no less than 1853 varieties of
wheat, 126 varieties Of barley and thirteen
varieties of rye were handled. Of these
100 were wheat hybrids developed by the
agricultural college at Manhattan. A
number of durum or macaroni wheats were
sown with the hope that they would sur
vive the winter, SO as to be on hand for
crossing with ordinary bread wheats, but
they persisted in the cold weather. We
quote from Mr. Fitz as follows:
Gross breeding of wheat and the orig
mating of new varieties seems to be a
source of mystery to many people, and
several have asked. How is it grated 2
the questioner evidently supposing we use
the same method as employed on hybrid
fruit.
s'In the first place it may be well to
state that wheat does not cross fertilize
ike corn, the pollen dust blowing from
plant to plant, but close fertilizes, l. e.,
each separate flower born within the
glooms, or chaff as it is commonly called
is fortified by its own pollen before the
glumes open, and there is very little
chance, therefore. of fertilization.
Hence different varieties of wheat may be
grown side by side for years without be-
coming mixed to any appreciable extent :
A new variety is procured by opera
ting on the flower, and the process is
called cross pollenating. As soon as the
wheat had headed, and before the anthirs
bearing the pollen become ripe enough to
shatter out any pollen dust, head from
good, vigorous, well stooled plant is Sc
lected for the female parent and emascu-
lated, i. e.. the leaves and upper spikelets
are clipped, leaving about the best central
ones. The little organs called anthirs,
which bear the pollen, are situated lust
within and at the base of the glumes.
There are removed with small pair of
forceps, care being taken not to injure the
remaining portion Of the flower Then in
a short time, day or two, depending on
several conditions, ripe pollen from another,
selected for the male parent, is carefully
placed upon the stigma within the glumes.
IF the work is carefully done and condi-
tions are favorable, from 80 to so per
cent. are usually successful. The stalk
is now marked with a tag and left to ripen
with the remainder of the plat
HWhen the grains resulting from cross
are sown variations occur, and when there
is variation there is chance for improve
ment, although the hybrid may retrograde
and fail to equal either Of the parent varie-
ties The heads obtained each year must
be carefully sorted for four or FIVE years
before the characteristics become fixed and
the variety comes true to type.
GAS an illustration of the results which
may be obtained by crossing, we may take
the Fultz or Zimmerman, which are early
ripening soft wheats, but very susceptible
to Puccinia rubigovera, or orange leaf rust,
and cross them with Crimean or Kharkov,
which are hardy drouth resistant winter
wheats, and withstand to large degree
the attacks of the orange leaf rust The
resulting cross will probably retain the ear
illness of the Fultz or Zimmerman, and yet
partake of the hardy character of the
Chrimean or Kharkov.
The chief objects of our experiments
are to secure not only larger yields, but
also greater resistance to rusts and drouth.
In the comparative yield tests Ghinka
winter took the lead, closely followed by
Kharkov, another Russian variety, Paqui
was third and the millers' importation of
Crimean Cor Turkey fourth.