WHEAT GROWN IN SURREY. 547 



This characteristic it maintained. Gluyas was of a sHghtly darker 

 green, Marshall's No. 3 darker still, but all three stood out by 

 reason of their lightness of colour compared with the other wheats 

 around them. January and February were particularly dry ; 

 the rainfall was only about one-third of the average, and the tem- 

 perature was on the whole mild, with one cold week in January 

 and one in February. March was wet and cold, a very trying time 

 for individuals, but all the wheats seem to have withstood it 

 satisfactorily, with the possible exception of Jonathan, which had 

 grown substantially, but had become of a peculiar colour. Very 

 curiously two Indian varieties had grown very much even under 

 the unfavourable climatic conditions. Like the Australians, their 

 " trying time " had yet to come. About this time I had received 

 from Mr. Charles Harper, of Western Australia, who had visited me 

 in the previous summer, two more varieties — one, Alpha, which 

 he thought might help us in our search for a good spring wheat ; 

 the other, Huguenot, a Durum of lovely appearance, which he 

 thought might yield a straw suitable for cattle feeding. In this 

 connection I should like to remark that we are still seeking for a 

 variety which possesses this characteristic, and are ready to incur 

 many more failures in experimental work, if there be the slightest 

 chance of securing such an one. 



I also received from South Africa a sample of the Australian 

 Gluyas, which had been grown there. These three varieties were 

 sown on March 26th. April conditions were favourable, average 

 rainfall and temperature above the average. On April 25th I 

 noted that Comeback, Gluyas, and Marshall's No. 3 were particu- 

 larly forward, Jonathan and Florence a little behind them, and 

 Bobs later still in this early stage of development. The spring- 

 sown wheats were well in row on April 18th, 23 days after planting. 

 By May 9th the Australian wheats, which up till then had shown 

 a very favourable growth and had looked vigorous in comparison 

 with ordinary English varieties, became spindly. Thereafter their 

 history is a dismal one. June was a very wet month, but the rain- 

 falls for May, July and August were below the average. As regards 

 temperature early May was cold, due to winds long continued 

 from cold quarters ; later May was summerlike. In the wet June 

 temperature was low for the time of year and rust was prevalent. 

 Comeback came into ear about May 26th, but its appearance was 

 then quite poor. Gluyas and Florence came into ear about May 

 28th, Jonathan about June 2nd, Marshall's No. 3 and Bobs about 

 June 8th. Red Fife eared about June 16th and ordinary English 

 varieties about June 20th. Jonathan, Florence, Bobs and Gluyas 

 were very rusty ; Comeback, though on the whole very poor, was 

 less rusty ; Marshall's No. 3 was a much better plot, and not nearly 

 so rusty as the others. At this stage the spring-sown Australians 

 showed no sign of rust. Bobs and Florence degenerated a good 

 deal in the unfavoui-able June. Florence, later, had a particularly 

 blue stem. July was not unfavourable, and the weather in the 

 first half of August was " glorious," but the damage done to all 



