10 SCIENCE BULLETIN, No. 22 



also required to be made as to whether deep or shallow sowing of the various varieties 

 will best suit the peculiarities of the climate and soils of our large alluvial plains in the 

 Riverina and stretching across the south-western and north-western districts. 



The value to the Colony of these experiments cannot be over estimated, and in view of 

 the great possibilities of securing success a really competent man should be appointed to 

 conduct them, and I would strongly urge that Mr. W. Farrer, who has made this 

 question a life-long study and has achieved considerable success in a profitable way in 

 this direction, should be approached and asked if he is prepared to continue the work 

 commenced by the Department, with a salary at the rate of 350 per annum. This is a 

 specialist's work altogether, and I am certain that there is no man in this or the other 

 Colonies who is more qualified to till the position than the gentleman I have named. 

 Mr. Farrer, in addition to being able to conduct the experiments in the field, would 

 render valuable aid in the solution of the problem of improving the milling and nutritive 

 value of wheats. In this matter he would be able to work in conjunction with the 

 chemist, Mr. Guthrie, and I feel sure that much valuable information, not alone to our 

 farmers but to our millers and bakers, would be the result. 



So far our Department has taken the lead in this branch of agricultural science as 

 regards Australia, and it remains for us to retain that lead by keeping up and extending 

 the useful work already performed. Mr. Farrer would also be able to undertake 

 experiments to determine the best methods of managing the different soils in our Colony 

 with the object of making them fertile and preventing their exhaustion with the 

 minimum use of manures. 



The Public Service Board may be asked to approve of the appointment of Mr. Farrer. 

 6th July, 1898. (Sgd.) S. SMITH. 



THE PROGRESS OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. 



For the first four or five years of his work very few people, beyond those 

 with whom he was in correspondence, knew anything of its progress. From 

 the commencement he was in touch with wheat- breeders in all parts of the 

 world, and to the end he was in constant communication with breeders, 

 growers, experiment stations, and others interested in the subject, exchanging 

 new varieties for experimental purposes, and, what is of greater importance, 

 interchanging ideas with others at work on similar lines. Amongst those 

 with whom he was thus associated in the earlier days were Dr. Bancroft, of 

 Queensland, and Professors Blount and Carleton, of America. 



As his first efforts were directed towards the problem of rust-resistance he 

 received much help from the co-operation of such authorities on rust as 

 Professor Erikssen, of Sweden, and Messrs. Me Alpine and Cobb, of Australia. 



In 1890 an opportunity was afforded him of bringing his work and aims 

 more directly under the notice of the Australian Agricultural Departments, 

 and of obtaining official recognition of his labours. In that year, owing to 

 the enormous damage suffered by the principal wheat-growing States through 

 the ravages of rust (calculated to have been over 2,500,000 sterling), the 

 Victorian Minister for Agriculture convened a Rust-in- Wheat Conference, 

 which was attended by officers of the Agricultural Departments and others 

 interested in wheat-growing. 



Similar conferences met subsequently in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and 

 again in Melbourne, till 1896, when they were discontinued. 



To all these conferences Farrer was a regular contributor, addressing 

 letters or reading papers of an extremely interesting and inspiring character. 

 In a letter addressed to the first of these conferences, he states that he has 

 " given practical attention to the subject of rust in wheat for four years " 

 (that is since 1886), and that he first started with seed obtained from 

 Professor Blount, who had created a large number of new crosses in 

 Colorado. 



