32 KEPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



are expected in October next for the special course on the 

 principles of fruit growing. 



In addition to the external students, three super- 

 numerary botanists have received training in the period 

 under report. Of these Mr. R. J. D. Graham, M.A., B.Sc, 

 left in February 1908, to take up the post of Economic 

 Botanist in the Central Provinces. Mr. G. P. Hector, 

 M.A., B.Sc, Economic Botanist-designate of Eastern 

 Bengal and Assam, arrived at Pusa on January, 22nd. 

 1908, and remained under training. Mr. E. Holmes-Smith, 

 B.Sc, Economic Botanist-designate of Burma, joined the 

 section on October 12th, 1908, for six months' training in 

 economic botany. This period has since been extended. 



Mr. Abdul Rahman Khan, formerly Manager of the 

 Lyallpur Farm, joined the section as an assistant on 

 October 11th, 1908, and has undergone a special course of 

 training since. He has worked well, has made a good 

 deal of progress and has shown considerable aptitude for 

 the work of plant breeding. 



3. Wheat Investigations. — Considerable progress has 

 been made with the investigations on Indian wheat. 

 The quality of the wheat produced in India is a question 

 of the greatest importance, both from the point of view of 

 local consumption, and also of the export trade. Little 

 attention, however, seems hitherto to have been paid to 

 this matter. It appeared likely, both from the appearance 

 of the grain and also of the nitrogen percentage, that 

 some of the pure culture wheats at Pusa and Lyallpur 

 were markedly superior in quality to the ordinary soft 

 whites like Muzaffernaggar largely grown for export. 

 Accordingly the co-operation of Mr. A. E. Humphries, a 

 past President of the Incorporated National Association 

 of British and Irish Millers and the highest authority in 

 the Empire on the milling and baking properties of wheats, 

 was secured with regard to the wheats of India. An 

 arrangement was at the same time made with Dr. Leather, 

 Imperial Agricultural Chemist, for the necessary analyti- 

 cal work to be done at Pusa. The first set of samples for 



