668 



Journal of Agricultari'. Victoria. [10 Nov., 1917. 



needs of five 30-busliel wheat crops, iliis showed why it responded to 

 phosphates. 



One of the main activities of the farm is the production of new 

 varieties of wheat by cross breeding. This is a type of work which 

 never fails to fascinate the average fanner. In the stud plots of the 

 farm many thousands of new varieties were to be seen in all stages of 

 the lengthy process necessary to fix them as true to type. When fixed, 

 the lecturer explained, they are grown in eomijetition with standard 

 varieties, such as Federation; but it is necessary for them to success- 

 fully graduate on the plots and in the bulk fields before they are issued 

 to farmers. Visitors viewed several [jromising new varieties which are 

 undergoing final trials. 



The manurial trials sown to wheat were next visited ; here the 

 profitable returns to be obtained from dressings of superphosphate 



Mr. Richiudisou explaining Factors involved in Cross Breeding of 

 Wheat and Barley. 



heavier than those usually applied were stressed. The lecturer laid 

 emphasis on the difiiculty of judging the effect of small but profitable 

 differences in the yield due to manurial application, and he urged 

 farmers, if doubtful when- trying heavier dressings, to always put the 

 results to the test with the harvester. He illustrated his remarks by 

 reference to the plots in front of the farmers. 



The visitors at this stage were taken in hand by the Director of 

 Agriculture, Dr. Cameron, who from a vantage point introduced his 

 audience to a magnificent herd of Red Polled cows grazing on a stand 

 of irrigated mixed grasses. These animals, hornless and all of an 

 extremely even colour — a rich, deep red — looked perfection indeed, and 

 Dr. Cameron had no difficulty in convincing every one present of their 

 great dual-purpose qualities. He outlined the history of this herd, which, 

 he said, has been built up from a nucleus of twelve heifers and one cow 



