26 



] ounial of Agriculture. 



[8 Jan., 1907. 



As these crops represent the best ones in the district, thfere is very little 

 to choose between them. The wet winter has been responsible for a great 

 many patches in which the wheat has died out altogether, occasional small 

 areas of " take all," and the widespread presence of whiteheads, all com- 

 bined will, I fear, reduce the sanguine estimates that manv farmers have 

 made of their crops. Six and seven-bag crops are exceptionally good ones at 

 any time, and it is unreasonable to look for such high averages from a 

 large area. 



The prevalence of whiteheads through every crop calls for scientific 

 investigation. Mr. D. McAlpine, vegetable pathologist, states that " take 

 all and whiteheads are both different stages of a diseased condition of the 

 wheat plant, caused bv one and the same fungus, which occurs at the base 

 of the stem and on the roots." The fungus is further stated to be found 

 on spear grass, the destruction of which is recommended as a means of 

 mitigating the disease. Time did not permit me to observe closely enough 

 if any one variety of wheat appeared more subject than another to this 

 pest, but the opinion was frequently expressed by farmers in my hearing 

 that the Purple Straw varieties were the most liable. 



The invasion of many of the wheat crops bv the small white daisy is 

 due no doubt to the seed blowing in from the roadside. It appears, how- 

 ever, to me that the daisy is much more prevalent throughout the district 

 than when I judged the crops in 1903. 



Those paddocks which have been out of cultivation for eight to ten 

 years are, as might be expected, much freer from wild oats than those 

 which have been more frequently cropped. In my opinion, the wild oat 

 is the 'farmer's friend, just as much as his foe, and provided the farm 

 practice permits the fallow being kept clean by sheep, there is little to be 

 feared from the wild oat. If the silo becomes firmly established in the 

 north, the wild oat will form one of the cheapest fodders for ensilage. 



The Best 100 Acres of Wheat Grown on ^NIallee Land. 



This section, which I understand is a new departure since last year, 

 brought out ten competitors. The same standards were adopted in judging 

 the crops, but the kind of jSIallee, length of time under cultivation, and 

 appearance of " shoots " were also noted. The points awarded are shown 

 on the opposite page. 



The Mallee crops are uniformly good as regards yield, but the pad- 

 docks are man\- of them badly infected with whiteheads. It must be re- 

 membered that I only judged the picked 100 acres out of the whole crop 



