530 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION G2. 



It seems strange that such an erroneous conclusion was arrived 

 at by Biffin, and notwithstanding the following paragraph by 

 Farrer in the paper referred to : — 



" I think from these data we may safely draw the conclusion that the 

 making of varieties possessing suitability for our climate in conjunction with 

 sufficient ability to resist the summer rust for our crops to be safe from 

 serious (or indeed from any) injury by it is an easy matter, and only waits 

 for its completion a few moist seasons, even if the next rusty season does 

 not show it has actually been accomplished already." 



It should be understood that every season in Australia is not 

 generally a " rusty season," and hence Mr. Farrer 's difficulty in 

 thoroughly testing his varieties of wheats as rust resisters. 



A considerable difficulty presented itself to Farrer in deter- 

 mining the values of his wheats for milling purposes, and the values 

 he was able to assign to them were to a great extent arrived at, to 

 all intents and purposes by guesswork ; but after consultation 

 with Mr. Guthrie, who was attached to the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, as analytical chemist, both gentlemen very strongly urged on 

 me the desirability of obtaining a small hand flour mill, by means of 

 which wheats could be tested by manufacturing commercial flour, 

 by baking, and so on, in the Department. Approval was given by 

 the Minister for the purchase of a mill, and one was obtained. It 

 seems to me only proper and fair to Mr. Guthrie to say, and I do 

 not think this has been properly recognised, that without his 

 enthusiastic efforts in co-operating with Farrer, the complete 

 success of the latter gentleman's work would not have been attained. 



As soon as the flour mill was put into working order Guthrie 

 lost no time in perfecting himself in the manufacture of commercial 

 flour, in bread making, in testing the colour of flour and other 

 technicalities ; and then there were chemical investigations to be 

 made. This wheat-testing business became one of the most 

 interesting and important branches of the Department. 



The value of Guthrie's assistance was fully recognised and 

 appreciated by Farrer, who in December, 1897, wrote to me : — 



" I am glad to see that new interest is being taken in the intrinsic milling 

 value of wheats. Guthrie's work has done no end of good in that direction 

 and is destined to do still more, not only in this colony and in Australia, 

 but the world over. His is the best and most practical work that has yet 

 been done anywhere, and it will be supplemented by much that will be 

 done elsewhere. , Some years ago Dr. Cobb sent me the proof of the 

 descriptions of wheats which he published in the Gazette originally, when 

 I sent back the corrections to him I told him bluntly that[.neither he nor I 

 knew anything about the milling qualities which he proposed to give, and I 

 recommended him to leave out all mention of them, as well as some other 

 matter the soundness of which I doubted. I recommended him, in fact, to 

 confine himself in that regard to what he was certain of. He did not follow 

 my suggestion, with the result that all he said about the milling qualities was 

 found to be incorrect." 



In 1898 an opportunity occurred to appoint Farrer Wheat 

 Experimentalist to the Agricultural Department, where it was 



