INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1918-19 47 



A consignment of 3,000 mds. of Pusa 4, purchased for the 

 Gwalior State to replace the country crop at certain centres 

 in the famine-stricken areas of the State, unfortunately 

 was only partially cleared by the railway before all civil 

 transport became impossible. A very favourable oppor- 

 tunity for starting a new centre of distribution on the large 

 scale with this wheat could therefore not be fully utilized. 

 As the wheat could not be stored it had, to be sold for local 

 consumption before the rains set in. As soon as the 

 Section possesses greater facilities, 'such difficulties can be 

 surmounted by the simple device of storage in bulk and by 

 the accumulation of large reserves which can be released as 



occasion demands. 



II. Wheat. 



Seed distribution in India. In the previous report, a 

 detailed account was given of the progress made and of 

 the means adopted in the substitution of the country wheats 

 by Pusa 12 and Pusa 4. This work is being vigorously pro- 

 secuted and many new centres of distribution, including 

 the Chin Hills in Burma and many of the Indian States, 

 have arisen in various parts of the country. As usual, the 

 amount of botanically pure seed available for starting these 

 centres proved inadequate and little or no restocking of old 

 ones was possible during the year. The area under Pusa 

 12 and Pusa 4 during the season of 1918-19 was estimated 

 at half a million acres. The increased value of the crop, 

 judged by numerous crop-cutting experiments, is at least 

 fifteen rupees an acre so that the annual dividend on this 

 portion of the work of the Section has already reached 

 seventy-five lakhs of rupees (£500,000 sterling) and is 

 rapidly increasing. As one year is too short a period to 

 justify the time and trouble to all concerned in preparing 

 a fresh summary of the position of these seed distribution 

 schemes, progress will be recorded in the next report and 

 in future in alternate years. In the present paper, the 

 space so saved will be devoted to an account of some other 

 aspects of these wheat investigations which have now 

 reached the stage when they can usefully be discussed. 



