lo Mar., 1911.] Iiifiuence of Radio-active Minerals on Wheat. 155 



Algerian x White Tartarian, row 151, has the long narrow grain of 

 the Tartarian, side-bearing oat with a long and open head and straw that 

 is decidedly stronger than Algerian without being as coarse as that of 

 Tartarian oats. It stools well and stands up against high winds. 



White Ligowo x Algerian, row 125, has a fine straw like Algerian; 

 ^o also has the strain of this cross planted in row 163, but it grows a little 

 taller than Algerian. It will be a few seasons yet before sufficient seed 

 can be obtained for distribution as the crossbreds though nearly fixed as 

 to type are not quite ready to propagate in large plots. These have been 

 favourably reported on at the Bathurst Government Farm in New South 

 Wales this season, also oat No. 136 which did not yield so well with us 

 as it did in 1909. 



The Amarilla variety is almost identical with Algerian, though the 

 -Straw has less of the pink colour identical of Algerian. The grain of the 

 two oats can hardly be distinguished when compared, but the Amarilla 

 appears to be the better yielder of the two. We have over 3 lbs. of the 

 :best strain of this oat which will sow ^ acre when the seed is dropped 

 singly by hand at distances of 6 inches in the rows. By planting in this 

 way we are able to raise a large quantity of seed from a small sample of 

 :selected seed but this entails a considerable amount of hoeing and weeding 

 as is required with the beet crop. We mav have several strains of any 

 -variety but consider it wise to sow only the best yielder of these, even 

 though the quality of seed available may be very small. By sowing as 

 .above described 10 lbs. will easilv sow an acre. 



THE INFLUENCE OF RADIO-ACTIVE MINERALS ON 



AVHEAT. 



Alfred J. Ewart, D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., Government Botanist of Victoria, 

 and Professor of Botany and Plant Physiology in the Melbourne 

 Univcrsitv ; and Victor Nightingall, Government Research Scholar. 



A good deal of work has been done recently in various parts of the 

 "world upon the influence of exposure to the action of Radium and Rontgen 

 Rays upon plant life and growth. For the most part, however, the experi- 

 ments, particularly with radium and radio-active minerals, have been per- 

 formed on a small .scale in the laboratory by merely exposing the plants 

 for varying times and at varying distances, from the source of the radia- 

 tion, without any attempt being made to discriminate between the action of 

 the different rays or to determine the influence of direct contact with the 

 radium emanation where the experiments are made with radium or radio- 

 active minerals. Hence, it is not surprising that the results hitherto ob- 

 tained by different investigators, both on the same and on different plants, 

 are in many cases difficult to harmoni/e. It seemed, therefore, advisable 

 to critically investigate certain of the phenomena already observed, particu- 

 larly with a view to differentiate between the various actions which ex- 

 posure to radium or radio-active minerals must necessarily involve, and 

 the award of a Government Research Scholarship to Mr. Victor Nightingall. 

 made it possible to commenct- a joint investigation into this question. 

 The detailed .scientific investigation is likely to require a consider- 

 able time for its completion, hut certain general experiments carried out 

 ■with wheat in the experimental plots at the University System Garden may 



