10 Dec, 1917. 1 Inter-State Conference of Agrimltiiral Scientists. 751 



INTER-STATE CONFERKNCE OF AGRICULTURAL 

 SCIENTISTS. 



A Conference, attended by agricultural scientists from all the States, 

 convened by the Federal Government at the instance of the Advisory 

 Council of Science and Industry, was held in MelliDurne from 9th 

 November to 16th November, 1917. Professor A. J. Perkins, Director 

 of Airricnltnre of South Australi.i, i)resided. A number of papers 

 dealing with different aspects of agricultural science were read before 

 the Conference, and valuable discussions took place on each subject. 

 The papers, witli a summary of the discussions, will shortly be published 

 by the Advisory Council. The topics dealt with were as follows : — 



"Wheat breeding (introduced by IT. Pye, Victoria) ; oats and barley 

 breeding (J. T. Pridham, New South Wales) ; maize breeding (H. 

 Wenholz, New South Wales) ; statistical methods applied to plant 

 breeding (Dr. W. IT. Green, Victoria) ; production of cereals for arid 

 districts (A. E. V. Richardson. Victoria) ; immunity and inheritance 

 (D. McAlpine, Victoria) ; plant acclimatization (G. L. Sutton, Western 

 Australia) ; utilization of Australian phosphate deposits (Professor J. 

 W. Paterson, Western Australia) ; tobacco culture (T. A. J. Smith, 

 Victoria) ; utilization of native grasses and fodder plants (E. Break- 

 well, New South Wales) ; fibre cro])s (T. Hogg, Victoria) ; sugar crops 

 (H. T. Easterby, (Queensland) ; crojjs for production of power alcohol 

 (W. R. Griniwade, Victoria) ; suggestions as to Commonwealth endow- 

 ment of agricultural research (Professor A. J. Perkins, South Aus- 

 tralia) ; agricultural research and co-ordination of effort (Professor 

 R; D. Watt, New South Wales). 



The following resolutions were carried by the Conference, and have 

 been forwarded to the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth 

 Advisory Council of Science and Industry : — 



1. This Conference recommends to the Executive Committee of the 

 Advisory Council that a "Seed Improvement Committee" be formed 

 under the Council. 



This Commitee should, among otlier matters, deal with — 



(a) The nomenclature of cultivated varieties of farm crops. 



(b) The elimination of undesirable varieties of crops. 



(r) The exchange and dissemination of seed samples for research 



work. 

 {(I) The recommendation of money grants to approved State or 



other institutions for work in connexion with seed 



improvement and the introduction of improved varieties of 



crops. 



2. That in view of the benefits to be derived from the .systematic 

 introduction of seeds and plants into the Commonwealth, and to insure 

 more econom^v of effort in this direction on the part of all the States, 

 this Conference is of the opinion that as soon as practicable a Plant 

 Introduction Bureau should be estabHshed, tlie functions of which would 

 include — 



(1) Arrangements for the introduction of new and useful agricul- 

 tural plants from other countries into the Commonwealth ; 



