22 



CEREALS 



of rust which attack the wheat plant, namely, Puccinia 

 graminis, or black rust (summer), P. triticina, or brown 

 rust (spring), and P. glumarum, or yellow rust (spring), 

 the only one that is destructive in Australia is P. graminis; 

 of the others, P. glumarum does not occur in Australia, 

 and P. triticina does little or no damage. 



Mr. McAlpine has further shown that the life history 

 of the black rust in Australia differs from its life history 

 in Europe and America. A notable instance is the fact 

 established by him that the barberry, which is said to 

 act as intermediary host for this fungus in Europe, does 

 not function in this capacity in Australia. 



Prolificness. 



In discussing the question of prolificness it is important 

 to remember that this term also possesses a significance 

 very different to that which it has in Europe. 



Harvests of fifty to sixty bushels to the acre are 

 unknown on the Australian continent. The highest 

 individual yield of which I can find any record as being 

 obtained from a reasonable area is one of forty-three 

 bushels given by a new Victorian variety, Common- 

 wealth (see p. 32). 



The average yields per acre in bushels for the past 

 five harvests in the individual States are as follows : 



Commonwealth 



11-89 



13-73 



12-90 



9-64 



12-5 



It is to be noted that the Australian harvest is gathered 

 between November and January, so that the figures for 

 1908-1909 give the harvest of November or December, 

 1908, and January, 1909, and represent the grain avail- 

 able for 1909. 



Drought Resistance. 



The characteristics to be looked for in wheats for dry 

 districts a're summarized as follows by Mr. McAlpine, 

 who has made a special and extended study of the wheats 



