l6 CEREALS 



the slightest hesitation, say that the new varieties are of 

 the highest class, much superior to the Indian wheats of 

 commerce hitherto exported. Up to now the natives for 

 their own consumption did not like the varieties grown 

 for export, but the new varieties are acceptable for both 

 purposes. This is important, seeing that only 15 per 

 cent, of the Indian wheat crop is exported. Furthermore, 

 the quality remains first-class when the wheat has been 

 grown on properly irrigated land. Best of all, the new 

 varieties give the quietus to the criticism that it is 

 impossible to combine fine quality and high yielding 

 capacity in any one variety, for not only is their quality 

 first-class, but the yields are most satisfactory. 



For lack of time I must refer inquirers to official 

 publications for detailed information concerning various 

 parts of India, but I must mention the following facts 

 concerning tropical India. On the black soils of the 

 Central Provinces the yield per acre very rarely exceeds 

 600 Ib. English, whereas recently yields very greatly in 

 excess of this have been obtained with the new varieties. 

 At Tharsa last year, one known as Pusa 7 yielded 1,240 Ib. 

 per acre. The finest Indian wheat I have ever seen was 

 grown at Raipur in 1911, and other samples grown then 

 and in other seasons at Tharsa and Hoshangabad are of 

 first-class quality. I must leave this most interesting 

 part of my subject by saying that the prospects of 

 successful wheat production in India have been very 

 greatly improved in recent years, that the successes 

 already achieved are substantial, and still greater ones 

 are in sight. 



SUDAN. 



The principal food of the Sudanese is dura, and as yet 

 the natives show no preference for wheat. They eat 

 wheaten products when for some reason or another the 

 supply of dura is small. To a very large extent agricul- 

 tural production in the Sudan depends on irrigation, and 

 on irrigated estates a three-course rotation is usually 

 followed: cotton, wheat, and some leguminous crop. 

 Of these three cotton is regarded as the important 

 revenue-producing crop, and is preferred to wheat for 



