15 Oct., 19 J D.J 



Australian Wheat in India. 



635 



Victorian Rainfall — continued. 



nistrict. 



North Central 



Volcanic Plains 



West Coa,st 



Amount 

 A\ erage 

 Per cent. Departure 



Amount 

 Average 

 Per cent. Departure 



Amount 

 Average 

 Per cent. Departure 



Quurter. 



Points. 



569 



772 



-26 



440 

 671 

 -34 



684 

 795 

 -14 



N.B. — 100 points = 1 inch. 



AUSTRALIAN AVHEAT SUCCESSFULLY GROWN 



IN INDIA. 



Federal wheat, imported into India from Australia, lias proved very 

 successful of late years, and has successfully challenged the supremacy 

 of the local varieties. According to an Indian paper, nearly 40 maunds 

 (about 52 bushels) of grain per acre of Federation has been harvested 

 from a 10-acre field at the Peshawar agricultural station. One acre, 

 which was irrigated once only after the seed was sown, yielded fully 

 53 bushels. This is regarded as India's record cro]^, and is in strong 

 contrast to India'.s average vield of 10 bushels on irrigated land. The 

 highest average of any country in the world is 33 bushels, obtained in 

 England. 



The land that gave this fine crop at Peshawar was not exceptionally 

 rich nor had it been manured for the wheat or for the clover that 

 preceded it. In short, the big yield was obtained by clean, careful 

 cultivation, and chiefly, to quote the report, "by the high-yielding, 

 power of the variety of wheat that was grown." 



At Peshawar Federation ripens as early as any local variety ; it 

 resists drought, does not suffer much from rust, and holds its grain 

 long after the ears are quite ripe. And, although it is one of the very 

 few stiff-strawed wheats that can be depended upon to stand up in any 

 weather when the crop is over 25 bushels per acre, it is considered to 

 yield a soft, " cellulose " straw rather than a harsh " siliceous " one. 



The variety was first trie'd at Peshawar in 1913, and since then 

 it has yielded an average of nearly 49 bushels per acre in the farm 

 trials, and on the seed areas. It is reported to have yielded well at 

 Pusa this harvest. Some years before it was tried at Peshawar it was 

 found inferior to the Punjab wheats on the light, sandy loam of the 



