Main Importations


 Some of the varieties imported during this period still are
 grown extensively in the United States, and have served as breed-
 ing stocks for other successful varieties. The Mediterranean wheat,
 for example, was planted to 2,770,000 acres only a hundred years
 after its introduction to American agriculture.
 Agriculturists of the nineteenth century were keenly interested
 in improving the familiar varieties of wheat. Even before 1860
 they were making selections from admixtures, mutants, and the
 natural hybrids found in their fields.
 Some of the most important varieties were discovered from
 these selections. Zimmerman of Frederick, Maryland, selected in
 1837 a variety of either red or white wheat. Which variety was the
 original is not known, but both soon came to be widely grown
 under his name. The red Zimmerman wheat was still in cultivation
 a hundred years later.
 Red Fife, a hard red spring wheat, came to America from Scot-
land, although it was grown previously in Danzig and Poland. It
was selected by David Fife of Ontario in 1842 from a small packet
of what proved to be winter wheat brought from Glasgow. The
Red Fife entered Wisconsin in 1860 and became the basis of the
great flour industry of Minneapolis after the introduction of the
roller mill and the purifier.
 Marquis wheat, "the outstanding hard red spring wheat of the
world," was developed in Canada from Red Fife which was its
male parent.
 During the 1850's the Patent Office tried many new wheat intro-
ductions in a search for productive varieties that would withstand
rust and the attacks of the Hessian fly. The Turkish Flint wheat,
from near Mount Olympus, proved to be hardy and prolific in the
states along the Mason-Dixon line and the extension of its culture
was recommended. This wheat was approved as a hardy, productive
fall variety which ground into excellent flour. The hard grain
gave it protection in the storage bin.
 Algerian Flint, a large grain wheat from the province of Oran,
was sown in the valley of Virginia and produced a large yield.
Pithusian Flint, a fall wheat producing a large "berry," came from
the island of Ivica. Syrian spring wheat from the Holy Land proved
to be an early maturing variety.
 The "Cape Wheat, from the Cape of Good Hope, procured by
Com. Perry of the Japan Expedition," was sown but not com-
mented upon. Spanish spring wheat was a fine variety from