BETTER WHEAT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 36, 6 November 1907, Page 2

BETTER WHEAT.

SCIENTISTS AT WORK; .UTILITY STRAINS. OF SHEEP. Good progress in ivhoat crossing |has been effected by a group of Cambridgo Scientists. They have created varieties of wheat ana barley which will surpass the quality evon of Manitoba hard grain, and increase the valuo of English grain by 10 per cont. •Professor Middleton, Professor Wood, and Mr.'U. H. Biff on during the last eight years have beon conducting the '• experiments 'at the Cambridge University experimental farm at Impington. AH tho known varieties' of wheat throughout the ; world were collected together and on a small scalo. .As was only to be expected, the .majority.,absolutely refused to be acclimatised,'.but .a few showed a disposition to be kinder- Eyentually a few hopeful varieties were selected for such characteristics as resistance to tho attacks of rust, good cropping capacity, fine milling quality, stiff straw, and such like, and wero crossed with British wheats with the idea, of combining all these good qualities in one variety. A number of new varieties have been produced, "fixed," and submitted to the tests of milling 1 and baking, with the most satisfactory results. Tho 'department is meeting with similar success in an attempt to breed wheats which shall be rosistant to the attacks of yellow rust, 'and barleys which shall be a great improvement on those at present grown in this country. Possibly the most fascinating of the experiments .is at present in its infancy. : It is being tried, upon. sheep, tho object being tho improvement of tho wool and carcase, or other characteristics with a monetary value. Tho experiments so far go to establish that Mendel's laws apply to animals as well as plants, and that similar results may bo expected from similar experiments.