Variety Tests of Wheat, Oats and Barley. 523 



VARIETY TESTS OF WHEAT, OATS, AND BARLEY. 



By D. Mc.Alpine. 



During the past season a number of important experiments were 

 ■carried out, and the results of those relating to cereals are now 

 recorded as far as available, in order that the information gained 

 may be })laced at the disposal of the farmer as early as possible. 

 These experiments were conducted in different districts, so that due 

 allowance might be made for varying conditions of soil and climate, 

 and were spread over a wide area, including Port Fairy, Rutherglen, 

 Leongatha, Nagambie, and Myrniong. 



The testing of varieties of wheat, oats, and barley has been 

 continued, and this has included, for the first time, the celebrated 

 Garton vai-ieties. These were introduced by the Director of Agri- 

 culture, and the more promising varieties will receive further 

 attention during the coming season. 



Not only were Gartens new and improved breeds given a trial, 

 but a number of varieties of wheat, oats, and barley were sent from 

 the United States Department of Agriculture by M. A. Oarleton, 

 Cerealist in charge. We desire to cordially thank that Department 

 for the generous manner in which they invariably accede to our 

 requests. The varieties sent were accompanied by the following- 

 note : — '' We would not for a moment guarantee that all of these or 

 any considerable proportion would prove to be satisfactorily rust- 

 resistant. A number have proved so in this country, and we consider 

 all very good varieties, either for rust resistance, drought resistance, 

 •or for hardiness in other respects. A number of these are durum, 

 varieties, called generally in this country macaroni wheats. As you 

 know, these are almost uniformly rust-resistant ; though, of course, 

 not at all rust-proof, and even the durum varieties we have found 

 cpiite susceptible to the stem rust, Puccinia groAninis, in this country, 

 when this rust occurs in considerable quantities." 



Mr. Farrer, Wheat Experimentalist of New South Wales, likewise 

 forwarded a few of his cross-breds, and these, with a few retained 

 from the previous year for trial, make up the number of varieties 

 tested as follows : — Wheats, 28 ; oats, 12; barleys, 10. 



1— Port Fairy. 



The Single Seed Plots were sown on loth July in volcanic sand 

 in which potatoes had been grown the previous year, and treated 

 with farmyard manure at the rate of about 25 tons to the acre. The 

 rainfall was above the average, being 82 -62 inches for the year, and 

 averaging 28*4o inches on a sixteen years record. 



Gartuns cross-breds. — The wheats were all very late, and some of 

 them badly rusted. New Era was the only wheat considered worth 



