July 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 461 



.S. The Rocky Mountain region where, in more or less elevated irregular valleys, soft 

 or semi-hard spring wheat is grown to a limited extent. 



4. The great semi-arid basins and valleys between tlie Rocky Mountains and the 

 Pacific. These grow wheat of diverse varieties. Those in-edominating are soft, mostly 

 white, winter and spring wheats, some of them being club varieties. The hard red 

 winter wheats have been introduced in recent years, and are now extensively grown in 

 Oregon and Washington, and, to a considerable extent, in Idaho and Utah. 



In the first division, characterised by a 30-45 inch rainfall or more, natural wheat 

 hybrids occur very rarely, or not at all. In the second, or Great Plains area, charac- 

 terised by a fairly dry and windy climate, with considerable sunmier rain, but with long 

 dry spells and often severe drought, natural hybrids occur rather frequently, in 

 the breeding plots as well as in farmers' fields. In the irrigated valleys of the third 

 division I have very little information as to the occurrence of natural hybrids. In the 

 basins and great valleys of the fourth or western division, characterised by low rainfall 

 (none of which falls in the summer) and by comparatively low wind velocities, natural 

 crossing of wheat varieties is extremely common. Hybrids occur frequently in the 

 nursery and testing plots, and may be found practically in every commercial field with 

 the exception of the recently introduced hard red winter wheats. 



Mr. Ball's remarks have been quoted extensively, as he indicates by the 

 way the class of grain being now grown for the world's markets. The 

 fourth division he speaks of corresponds a good deal' to our wheat belt, 

 except that we have a good deal more wind, which perhaps a^educes the extent 

 of natural crossing that would otherwise occur. Like the farmers in that 

 area, we grow a considerable number of varieties, but we may note that the 

 harder grain sorts are winning favour in America. 



Is Sti/pandra glauca R. Bk., a Poison Plant ? 



As far back as the year 1894 ^see a note in this Gazette for March of that 

 year, page 142) the above plant was sent as a suspect from the South Coast. 

 It has no common name so far as I know, grows up 2 or 3 feet high, and has 

 pretty blue flowers and distichous leaves 2 to 4 inches long. It is common in 

 the neighbourhood of Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and many other parts of 

 the State, and during the the last quarter of a century, has increasingly 

 been reported as a suspected plant, but I liave never been able to get any 

 definite information concerning it. 



A few days ago a grazier in the Molong district wrote to me as follows : — 

 " I send you a kind of nettle and also a plant with a blue-bell flower. Some 

 people call it the ''mountain bluebell.' For a number ot years I have had a 

 number of sheep and cattle poisoned with some kind of weed in a certain 

 paddock. After investigation F feel sure that one of the alcove plants is the 

 cause of the trouble. The stock sicken and die in a day or so." 



I think *"hat the nettle can be acquitted, but as to the bluebell there is 

 very little to go upon, and I have advised communication with the Chief 

 Inspector of Stock. 



I may say that in south-western Australia no one seems to have any doubt 

 as to the poisonous character of this plant. It is said to produce blind dis- 

 ease in sheep, and one of its names is "Candyup poison" because it is com- 

 mon in the district of that name, a little east of King George's Sound. 



I think it is high time that pastoralists and others should make accurate 

 observations in regard to this particular plant, and keep in touch with the 

 Chief Inspector of Stock on the matter. — J. H. Maiden. 



