lo Oct., 1908.] Recent Developments in Wheat Breeding. 595 



Characteristics of Wheat Varieties. 



Wheats belong to well defined families or groups, just as stock does. 

 In horses some classes are remarkable for speed or strength, as the case 

 may be; cattle are specialised for milk production or beef; and, I say 

 with all the emphasis I am capable of, that the wheat grower who con- 

 tinues to sow a variety more suited to hay production than to grain must 

 not expect maximum yields. I am well aware that the necessities ot 

 the wheat farmer compel him to utilise portion of his wheat crop for hay, 

 but as I assume most wheat farmers put the crop in primarily for grain, 

 does it not appear only logical that those varieties which have proved 

 themselves prolific yielders should be preferred to the combined hay and 

 grain variety ? Portion of the experimental fields already referred to has 

 each year been devoted to the trial of a number of varieties side by side, 

 under identical conditions. From three years' trials one variety in par- 

 ticular has emerged triumphant as regards yield — I refer to Federation, 

 which I may claim to have introduced to the Wimmera and Mai lee by 

 means of the experimental fields. 



All the well known varieties grown by farmers were pitted against the 

 Federation last season, with the result that almost in every instance the 

 Federation proved superior as far as yield of grain is concerned. It is 

 only to be expected that soma districts and some types of soil will even- 

 tually show a preference for certain varieties of wheat, and, in fact, this 

 has already been indicated in a few of the earlier districts. Besides the 

 now familiar Federation, no less than fourteen other wheats grown upon 

 the Government plots have shown themselves superior in yield to the ordi- 

 nary seed supplied by the farmer. The expetimental fields, then, can 

 claim to have already done fine service in introducing new varieties of 

 wheat and affording excellent opportunities for the comparison of yields, 

 characteristics, &c. It must be confessed, however, that they can only 

 be regarded as useful for demonstration purposes, and in no way do they 

 afford an opportunity for scientific research. 



Stud Wheat Plots. 

 The ^^linister for Agriculture (Hon. G. Swinburne, ALL. A.), has 

 lecentlv approved of a scheme which has for its object the breeding of new 

 wheat varieties to meet the especial conditions of soil and climate prevailing 

 in Victoria. No longer, it is hoped, will the Victorian wheat farmer 

 have to be dependent upon the enterprise and skill of the wheat experi- 

 mentalists of South Australia and New South Wales. A committee 

 known as the Wheat Improvement Committee, consisting of the Director of 

 Agriculture; Mr. Pye, Principal of Dookie College; Mr. McAlpine, 

 Government Vegetable Pathologist, and myself, has been constituted with 

 power to initiate and carry out from year to year the practical work of 

 breeding new wheat varieties. An area of 50 acres at Longerenong 

 College, near Horsham, will serve the interests of the Wimmera ; while 

 TO acre breeding stations at Dookie College, thei Rutherglen and Wyuna 

 Government farms will meet the needs of the North-Eastern, Goulburn 

 Valley and Northern plains wheat farmers. The areas mentioned have 

 alreadv been sown with a number of pure strains and crossbred varieties 

 procured from adjoining States, and abroad, as well as a large number 

 of crossbreds created by Mr. Pye. An officer skilled in the work of 

 crossbreeding wheat, oats, and barlev — until recently in the employ of 

 the Government of New South Wales, at the Experimental Farm at Covvra 

 ■ — has been appointed to carry out the necessary field work in the Wimmera, 



