TO June,, 1909.] }V/icat luiproveiuent Committee. 373 



As usual, the steeping of the pickled grain in lime-water had a 

 marked effect on the germination, improving it considerably ; although 

 the results of the tests in which tlie lime-water was used alone do not 

 place it high as a bunt pickle. 



In some instances, this season, owing to the unequal germinating 

 power of the wheat, the germination results obtained from pickled grain 

 were better than those from the unpickled. 



The Production of Bunt-Resistant Varieties. 



I have in previous reports introduced the subject of the production 

 -of bunt-resistant varieties. In the search for bunt-resistant varieties, I 

 ha\'e for some years been breeding varieties by crossing high-typed wheats, 

 possessing to some degree the p.ower to resist bunt, on others, especially 

 on Medeah, a durum, which has proved so resistant to bunt in this 

 district. Although it is not difficult to produce varieties that are, to a 

 •considerable degree, capable of resisting the attacks of the disease, it is 

 difficult to produce one that, in addition to possessing that quality, fulfils 

 •all the economic and practical needs of the miller and of the farmer 

 respectively. 



In addition to the crossbreds enumerated in a previous report, I have 

 this season arranged other crosses. Until the\- have been proved to be 

 in every respect worthy of distribution, no practical ol:>ject is gained by 

 publishing the names of these crossbreds. Besides the bunt-resistant 

 varieties bred by me, I have two or three others forwarded by Mr. Sutton, 

 of Cowra, New South Wales, and two, Florence and Genoa, which came 

 through the Wheat Improvement Committee, from the same source. 



None of the xarietie.'^ from New South Wales infected with bunt 



spores produced clean plots, but the percentage of bunted plants was 



low, and, in most instances, the bunted plants had only a few of the 



later-produced ears diseased. Again Medeah proved to be bunt-resistant, 



or practically bunt-proof, not one of the plants of this variety in any of 



the experiments being diseased. The following other wheats proved to be 



bunt-resistant, and were free from diseases after infection. Unlike 



Medeah, however, they have not stood the test for several years : — 



Missogen ^r , , • r , • , i , 



77 — - — , — r^,^-— -—r Of the selections of this crossbred wheat, two 



Medeah X White Fife. 



Avere free from bunt. These selections are really distinct varieties, as 



they differ so much from each other. 



One selection of AUorite X Semi-durum was clean ; but the other 



:selection in the row^ had plants partially bunted. 



Blue Heron (an Emmer) , , , , . ^ ^ , 



= ; ..^ ^ — -. , — =r- — had four selections free from bunt: 



Egyptian X Tardent s Blue 



•while other selections contained from one to three partially bunted plants. 

 Tripola 



- — , — — — had three selections free from bunted plants. The 



Tardent s Blue ^ 



other selections were slightly bunted. 



Tripola , . . . 



In — ' ^. ^. 1 — \ — three varieties were free. 



Bobs X Medeah 



Medeah ^, ^ . , , . . r^r ^, 



, — was the parentage of a number ot varieties. Ut these, 



Bobs 



eight were free from bunted plants grown from infected seed ; while nine 



other varieties of the same breeding each contained a few partially-bunted 



plants. 



