8 SCIENCE BULLETIN, No. 11. 



to rust, and was on this account chosen by Mr. Farrer as the most suitable 

 place for testing his rust-resistant crosses. Mr. H. W. Potts, the Principal, 

 reports that, as the result of many years' work, two varieties are found to 

 stand out above all the others. These are two Farrer crosses, Warren and 

 Thew, and these are the varieties now demanded by the costal farmers of 

 JSTew South Wales for hay. (It should be mentioned that practically no 

 grain is produced in the coastal districts.) Other Farrer wheats, such as 

 Florence, Firbank, and Bunyip, are also successful on account of their 

 maturing early. Bobs was grown successfully for several years, but it 

 ultimately lost its rust-resisting properties. All the wheats mentioned 

 .above are Farrer wheats. 



An instance of successful selection from unpromising material is afforded 

 "by the wheat known as Ward's Prolific (see also page 23). This wheat, 

 which was long a popular favourite in all the States, originated with Mr. 

 .James Ward, a South Australian farmer, as long ago as 1881. Mr. Ward 

 received a small parcel of seed of a variety known as Du Toits, grown in 

 South Africa, from Dr. Schomburgh, Director of the Botanic Gardens, 

 Adelaide, which he planted. The crop was very badly affected by rust, with 

 the exception of a single plant, which was free. On planting the seed from 

 this, 1 Ib. of grain was obtained the first year, 50 Ib. the second year, 28 

 bushels the third year, and 932 bushels in the fourth year. The plants never 

 exhibited any signs of rust, and the result was the production of one of the 

 best rust-resistant varieties we possess, though it has given place in recent 

 years to other wheats which, while equally rust-resistant, are preferred for 

 other reasons. 



Dr. N. A. Cobb, Vegetable Pathologist to the New South Wales Depart- 

 ment for several years, carried out a great amount of work 011 rust in 

 wheat, and published a number of reports and articles embodying the results 

 of his investigations. At the time at which he began this work the nomen- 

 clature of the varieties in cultivation was in a deplorable state of chaos. 

 1 The work of reducing the confused nomenclature then existing to some sort 

 of system involved the careful examination of hundreds of varieties in the 

 field and under the microscope, and included accurate measurements of all 

 parts of the living plant and of the grain. 



During recent years the number of the varieties in cultivation have been 

 reduced to comparatively very few, and new varieties have superseded those 

 dealt with by Dr. Cobb, but his work in this direction was of great value to 

 the wheat-breeder and farmer by systematizing the nomenclature and 

 .enabling wheat to be grown true to name. 



Prolificness. 



This is the property which the farmer looks for in the first instance, and 

 in the days before 1890 it was the only one to which he attached much 

 importance. Unfortunately many of the wheats then grown on account of 



