46 Joiinu'il of A iirictiUiirc. Viciona. [ic Jan., 1912. 



observed on virgin land on Mr. (irec^nwotxl's property. Here the disease 

 ivas observed on stray patches of barlev grass in takeall affected patched' 

 of crop. 



The prcvnlep.ce of ball .smu: this season in the Nhill crops raises the 

 (juestion of the efficacy of ihe i)ickl:ng scluticns adopted. On inquir\ it 

 was noticeable that many of the crops were pickled at the rate of j lb. 

 bluestone to the bag. How much water was used in preparing the solution 

 does not seemi tO' have troubled the farmers concerned. Bluestone is an 

 efficient fungicide o)ily if proper precautions are taken, and only when 

 solutions of definite strength and concentration are employed. It js not 

 sufficient to merely guess the strength of the pickle by the depth of colour 

 or tint. Solutions of definite strengths should be employed, say, 2 lbs. 

 to 10 gallons of water, and the inevitable lo.sses of solution due tO' con- 

 tinued pickling .should be made up by adciing a definite weight of water 

 and bluestone, and not in an arbitrary way by pitching a handful of 

 bluestone at occasional intervals into^ the pickling tub. 



So far as the regularity and tvcuness of the crop is concerned, this 

 is, in many ways, an indication of careful farming, though it is not 

 always an infallible sign. In spitCf of the variable and patchy nature 

 of most of the land on which the crops were grown, it is pleasing tO' note 

 that many of the crops were almost perfectly even and uniform in char- 

 acter, displaying care in handling the soil, during the previous fallowing 

 season, and in drilling both seed and manure. 



With regard to trueness tO' t\pe, it is a matter for regret to find that 

 most of the crops are very badlv mixed, and contain an inordinate number 

 of strange heads of wheat. 



One would experience but little difficulty in gathering a large sheaf of 

 "strangers "" from a square chain of crop. Not only is it evident that 

 the crops are becomang badly mixed, but there are unmistakeable signs 

 of degeneration in the Federation crops of the district. Evidences of 

 this may be gathered from the large number of barren spikelets at the 

 basal portions of the ears, amounting, in many cases, to one-quarter and 

 one-third of the total number of spikelets. Also, the marked tapering 

 nature of so many of the heads is another indication of this phenomenon. 

 These are no mere physiological derangements due to the effect of an 

 abnormally dry sea.son, but are undoubted signs of a falling aw^ay in 

 character and type from the original square headed compact variety in- 

 troduced some years ago. 



This degeneracy of type is not, however, confined to the Nhill district, 

 but is noticeable in other portions of the State, and it is what might 

 logically be expected fronii any wheat, or indeed any crop in which special 

 pains are not taken to prevent the natural tendency to degeneration ob- 

 servable in all cultivated plants. We have heard a great deal lately 

 about selection of stock — draught horses, dairy cattle, stud sheep. We 

 know that it was by continuous, patient selection that the famous Booth 

 and Bates types of Shorthorn cattle were evolved. Is it logical to assume 

 that selection, which has had so potent an influence in raising the standard 

 of our domestic animals, .shall prove unavailing when applied to the 

 vegetable kingdom? In systematic, careful, long continued selection, we 

 have an instrument in which we may truly mould plants at will. The 

 sugar content of beets has been trebled, the percentage of starch in potatoes 

 and protein content of maize greatly augmented by systematic selection. 



