- J 



is reviewed, and particularly some interesting results obtained 

 in the production of new varieties by natural cross-fertilization. 



There are several experiment farms under the control of the 

 Department of Agriculture, three or four of which are specially 

 devoted to wheat culture. In addition, the Education Depart- 

 ment has made wheat growing a subject for Nature-study in 

 the schools. 



In this State, also, a small wheat-testing mill has been estab- 

 lished, where new varieties can be milled and the flour tested 

 and baked into loaves. 



Queensland. As this State is not, at present, an extensive 

 producer of wheat, less attention has been given to wheat 

 breeding. Some of the earlier work in connection with diseases 

 in wheat is dealt with. The Department of Agriculture, how- 

 ever, encourages experimental work in wheat, and two or three 

 of the farms devote a considerable amount of attention to 

 wheat experiments. Seed wheat true to type is grown for 

 farmers, and a wheat-testing mill is in operation. 



The paper closes with a discussion of the possible future 

 extension of the area on which wheat growing can be carried 

 on profitably in Australia. 



THE PRODUCTION OF MAIZE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 

 TO SOUTH AFRICA. 



By JOSEPH BURTT-DAVY, 



Botanist, Agricultural Supply Association, Ltd., Johannesburg, 



Soutu Africa. 



[ABSTRACT.] 



It is not, perhaps, generally realized that the world's annual 

 consumption of maize is greater than that of wheat, actually 

 447,000,000 bushels more. At the same time it takes only one- 

 half of the acreage sown with wheat to produce the same 

 quantity of maize; in other words, maize yields twice as much 

 per acre as wheat, and is therefore the cheaper crop to produce, 

 other things being equal. In addition to this, the maize crop 

 yields a larger quantity of highly nutritious stock-food, in the 

 form of ''stover" (dry stalks and leaves), than is the case 

 with wheat or any other farm crop grown, excepting, perhaps, 

 sugar cane and the sorghums. 



The world's annual consumption of maize grain is about 

 3,929,000,000 bushels. This grain is used as food for man and 

 his domestic animals, and also as a source of supply of alcohol, 

 starch, glucose, dextrin, corn oil, glycerine, cellulose, and 



