CEREAL IMPROVEMENT HYBRIDIZATION 229 



Australia. He continually practiced composite crossing. 

 Formulas indicating his crosses would often run like the 

 following actual instance : 14 X (1300 X Beloturka X 57) 

 X (193 X Ward White). 



242. Fairer 's principal hybrids are as follows : Federa- 

 tion is descended from a cross of Purple Straw and Yan- 

 dilla, the latter itself a Fife-Indian cross. It is " the first 

 successful attempt to improve the flour strength of the 

 wheats grown in Australia at the time." It is now the 

 most popular grain wheat in Australia. Comeback is a 

 composite hybrid having Fife and Indian parents; early 

 ripening, fairly prolific, drought-resistant, white-chaffed, 

 white-kerneled, slightly inclined to shatter, not adapted 

 for cold winters. Bunyip is a cross between Rymer and 

 Maffra, the former being descended from Fife and Purple 

 Straw. It is a very early white-chaffed variety with 

 attractive kernel. Cedar, another wheat descended from 

 Fife and Indian parents, is called " the best of all the 

 milling wheats created by Farrer." It is a red-kerneled 

 wheat, and for flour production is classed as "Australian 

 Strong-red." Firbank, a cross of Zealand and Maffra, is 

 noted as a good hay wheat ; white-chaffed and white-ker- 

 neled ; hay of good quality. Florence, a composite of sev- 

 eral varieties including White Naples and Fife, is said to 

 strongly resist bunt, for which purpose it was produced ; 

 a good milling, white-kerneled wheat; early and fairly 

 rust-resistant and drought-resistant. Genoa, Rerraf, 

 Cleveland, Thew, Bayah, and Warren are also Farrer's 

 hybrids. The first named is said to be bunt-resistant. 

 Thew and Warren were bred for rust-resistance. 



243. Other Australian hybrids. The following varie- 

 ties were created by Hugh Pye, Principal of Dookie Agri- 

 cultural College and formerly associated with Farrer: 



