IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEATS. 541 



to the pest is sufficient to prevent the crop from being reduced 

 from, say, 20 bushels to below 16 instead of to 4 or 5 of worthless 

 grain, as was the case when many of the old varieties met with 

 such a season. 



Some varieties have, however, been produced — though the 

 limit has not yet been reached — which are specially suitable for 

 rusty districts. 



For several years past a variety called " Thew " has been 

 successfully grown for hay at the Hawkesbury Agricultural 

 College, where it was produced. At this College the conditions 

 favourable for the development of rust are present each season 

 in a greater or less degree. 



This same variety has proved in farmers' trials very suitable 

 for the coastal areas, at places where because of the rust it was 

 ■deemed inadvisable to attempt to grow wheat, even for greenstuff. 



At the H.A. College this year a newer variety called " Warren " 

 has quite eclipsed " Thew " with regard to its rust resistance. 

 The conditions prevailing this season were extremely favourable 

 for the development of rust. 



At Glen Innes, "Jonathan " for some years past has proved so 

 highly rust-resistant that it has been a prolific yielder, and has 

 produced grain equal in strength to the world's best. Last season 

 — which was so exceptionally rusty that even the " Fifes " were 

 "badly affected — a new variety called " Cedar " was quite free 

 from the pest, and produced grain of exceptional excellence. This 

 variety " Cedar " is also a bunt-resistant, if not a bunt-proof 

 variety. It is an instance of the later aims of Farrer in the 

 direction of producing varieties resistant not only to rust, but to 

 all the diseases to which wheat is liable. 



From what has been stated, it will be granted that Farrer 

 realised his aims in a remarkable degree. That one man 

 should have accomplished even so much in the space of a whole 

 lifetime is a veritable triumph for scientific research and patient 

 and careful investigation. With the fruits of Farrer's success 

 before us, his triumph does not perhaps now appear as great as it 

 really is. 



When he read his paper his ideas were popularly supposed 

 to be those of a visionary, more interesting from a purely theoretical 

 and academical standpoint than from a practical or commercial 

 one. How impossible his task seemed when it was undertaken 

 may be gauged from the remarks made less than seven years ago 

 by Mr. Martin Sutton, of the well-known seed firm of Sutton and 

 Sons. Mr. Sutton's remarks are entitled to be taken as repre- 

 senting the leading commercial thought in the agricultural world. 

 As head of the great seed firm, he could claim to have a special 

 knowledge of what had been attempted and what done in the 

 direction of improving our cultivated plants. Mr. Sutton said, 

 " We should be grateful to the botanist and scientific men who 

 •carry on these abstruse experiments in cross fertilisation, but I 

 would warn agriculturists against expecting any practical results 



