IMPROVING SELF-FERTILIZING CROPS 135 



herited the yielding capacity of Square Head's Master as well as 

 the resistance of the Russian wheat parent. 



Farrer's Wheat Breeding in Australia. Probably no one has 

 made more wheat crosses that have proved valuable than William 

 Farrer of Australia (Sutton, 1910). Most of his work was done 

 without the application of a knowledge of the Mendelian princi- 

 ples. He, however, made crosses for definite purposes and in 

 reality followed the Mendelian mode of work without recognizing 

 the law involved. Farrer strongly featured composite crossing, 

 i.e., the crossing of parents which were themselves of hybrid 

 origin. Federation, a variety very popular in southern Australia, 

 was produced in this manner. As a typical example of Farrer's 

 method, the history of Federation will be given somewhat in 

 detail. 



This variety was the outcome of a deliberate attempt to 

 produce a wheat especially suited to gathering with a stripper, 

 a harvester used in Australia. Federation is early maturing, 

 stiff-st rawed, erect, and of somewhat short growth. Despite 

 its rather unattractive appearance, it is one of the highest 

 yielding wheats for the section in which it is grown. The upright 

 habit makes it easy to harvest. Furthermore, the grains are 

 held tight enough to prevent shattering but not tight enough 

 to interfere with the operation of the stripper. Federation 

 resulted from a cross between the varieties Purple Straw and Yan- 

 dilla. The parentage is indicated in the following diagrammatic 

 scheme: 



Improved Fife X Etawah 

 Purple Straw X Yandilla 

 Federation 



The history of the origin of Bunyip, another Farrer production, 

 is indicated as follows: 



Improved Fife X Purple Straw Blount's Lambrigg X Hornblende 



I 

 An unnamed 



cross-bred X King's Jubilee 

 Rymer X Maffra 



Bunyip 



