The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-01-25
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
(By J. H. Seymour, Head of Dept. of
Agriculture, State Normal School.)
Wheat: Its origin, Development,
and improvement
A. Origin-Dr. John M. Coulter in
his book, fundamentals of Plant
BREEDING" says that wheat was the
first plant to be cultivated from the
wild state. Historically this would
be very important, since it exerted a
profound influence in changing the
wandering habits of the people of
those faroff days into the settled
habits of an agricultural population.
For centuries botanists have search
ed far and wide for the wild original
of wheat, but until very recently with
out any success. The assumption has
been that wheat had been developed
from some member of the grass FAM
lily that gave promise of marvellous
development in the hands of more or
less skilled plant breeders. 1t re-
quiries some stretch of the magma
ton, however, to believe that prehis-
toric peoples in the nomadic or semi
barbarous stage of civilization could
select a wild grass, cultivate it, and
care for it in such way as to see in
it the hidden possibilities that have
so greatly blessed humanity to this
day. In this connection we should
remember that wheat is member OF
the grass family of plants, having
many characteristics in common with
each member of the family.
1t remained for Aaronsohn, botan
list of Palestine, to discover the wild
original of wheat. 1t is interesting
to make study of some of the con-
illusions he reached prior to his search
of discovery: First, he felt sure that
everything about our common wheat
plant pointed to it's origin in dry re-
gions rather than in regions of con-
siderable rainfall. He noted that the
vigor of plants from seed grown in
arid regions was greatly in excess of
that of plants grown in humid regions.
Second, he thought that uncivilized
man would be likely to select plant
already useful rather than some plant
relatively useless. He did not think
primitive man had insight enough to
foresee future possibilities of any or
binary plant he might bring under cul-
tivatiOn.
Aaronsohn began his search and in
1906 made scientific statement Of
his discovery. He found growing on
the otherwise broken and stony sides
of Mt. Hermon, in Palestine, wild
wheat with heads as large as those OF
cultivated wheats and having kernels
some what heavier. It is said that
some scientists thought this wheat
was simply cultivated wheat which
had escaped and had become wild.
But every evidence and test since ap'
piled seems to prove that it is really
wild wheat. 1t may not be the orig
inal prototype. 1t is further said that
our modern emmer and einkorn are
very similar to it in such character
istics as drouth resistance, disease re-
sistance, and in its ability to grow I'm.
der widely-varying conditions of alti-
tude and moisture requirements.
In plant breeding this wild wheat is
very valuable for crossing and i'm
provement. Coulter maintains that it
is superior in it's drought resistant
qualities. It is scarcely less notable
| in it's resistance to disease, especially
to the rust diseases. It is also import
ant because of it's wide range of vari>
alton. From it may be derived many
wheat strains which may be grown
under a great variety of conditions.
Many Of our cultivated wheats have
lost a great deal Of their original
vigor. This is particularly true of
!disease-resistant powers.
The botanist Aaronsohn has been
made director of the experiment sta.
ton at Haifa, Palestine. He now CO.
Operates with the U. S. department of
agriculture so that at the present time
experiments are now going on at sew
eral experiment stations throughout
our country using as basis this won.
derful drouth-resistant wheat. No
one at this time can forecast the exact
economic value of this wild wheat in
wheat breeding, but it is believed that
the economic possibilities, judging
from the result already obtained, are
likely to be rather unusual and of far
reaching benefit. In the next paper
the writer will attempt to tell some
thing of the antiquity Of wheat from
the standpoint of it's cultivation and
domestication.