290 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



Wheat and Its Cultivation in the Union. 



Many articles on the subject of wheat growing in South Africa 

 dealing with various problems in connection therewith, have been 

 published from time to time, but no complete collection of informa- 

 tion has appeared under one cover in the nature, more or less, of a 

 text-book for the student and the producer. A bulletin (No. 22) has 

 been published, however, by the Department of Agriculture, Victoria, 

 entitled "Wheat and Its Cultivation," which covers very fully the 

 whole ground of wheat cultivation in Australia, and as the climate 

 of Victoria is somewhat similar to that of the main wheat-producing 

 area of the Union, the south-western districts of the Cape Province"^ 

 much of the information given in the bulletin is directly applicable 

 to wheat growing in these districts and of outstanding interest to 

 farmers there. It is written by Mr. A. E. V. Richardson, M.A., B.Sc, 

 who is well known for valuable contributions on various agricultural 

 matters, both from an economic and cultural point of view, and the 

 bulletin in question contains a remarkable collection of information, 

 treating with detail and interest such subjects as seeding 

 operations, methods of cultivation, manurial problems, wheat 

 improvement, wheat varieties, seed wheat and its treatment, 

 and concluding with a general summary of the essential factors in 

 successful wheat cultivation. Indeed the bulletin (which contains 

 160 pages, and is obtainable on application to the Department of 

 Agriculture, Victoria, Australia) is of so much value to the South 

 African wheat grower that a prominent grower in the Caledon 

 district, Mr. J. J. de Villiers, of Dunghye Park, has written to this 

 office urging the publication in the Journal of extracts from the 

 bulletin, and in the course of his letter states: "In my farming 

 experience of over twenty years I have not handled a publication of 

 greater practical value, to my mind, to the Western Province grain 

 farmer than this excellent work." While it is difficult adequately 

 to summarize a publication, practically all of which is useful to the 

 farmer of this country, Mr. Parish, of this Department, has taken 

 certain extracts from it of general applicability to local conditions, 

 and has supplemented them by adding certain remarks and informa- 

 tion based on South African experience. This is published else- 

 where in this issue, and should be of direct benefit at this season to 

 wheat growers in the south-western Cape. 



The South African Honey Bee. 



Apiarists will be interested in an article in this issue of the 

 Journal by Mr. Skaife, at one time Entomologist at Cedara and now 

 Inspector of Technical Education, Cape Province, on the subject of 

 the honey bees of South Africa, especially in connection with the 

 question of securing colonies of Italian bees or pure-bred Italian 

 queens. The question is important in view of the fact that the 

 presence of European foui brood is now recognized in South Africa. 

 The article discusses the 'races of honey bees occurring in South 

 Africa and shows that the pure adansoni race is an excellent one 

 ior our conditions, which should be noted by bee-keepers as present 

 circumstances preclude the possibility of obtaining pure-bred Italian 

 queens. 



