40 CEREALS 



W. Catton Grasby, of the Perth Technical College and the 

 West Australian newspaper. Mr. Grasby was for some 

 years in communication with Mr. Farrer and Mr. Richard 

 Marshall, of South Australia. 



He carried on wheat experimental plots in Western 

 Australia in co-operation with the late Mr. Charles 

 Harper, and since Mr. Harper's death has continued this 

 work alone. 



Mr. Grasby has been successful both in selecting special 

 wheats and in cross-breeding. The principal objects at 

 present aimed at by him are the creation of early maturing 

 varieties possessing stiff straw and the production of hay- 

 wheats. In this latter respect very promising results 

 have been obtained by using Le Huguenot as a parent. 

 Tall, well-stooled wheats result, and there is every like- 

 lihood of one or more of these wheats taking the place 

 of Baroota, the present favourite. Crosses between 

 Alpha (Berthoud's) and Federation (Farrers), and also 

 between Federation and Rerraf (two Farrer wheats) give 

 considerable promise, being notably early maturing 

 varieties and escaping mildew, which did a great deal of 

 damage in Western Australia last season. Some of these 

 crosses will be ready for distribution in a couple of years' 

 time. 



Departmental Action. 



Largely through the instrumentality of Mr. Grasby, 

 the Education Department has introduced wheat growing 

 as a subject for nature study in schools. Mr. Grasby 

 has placed at the disposal of the Department the produce 

 of his own experiment plots, including a number of cross- 

 bred varieties of his own creation. 



It is anticipated that the work will prove of great 

 commercial value to the State, although the plots are 

 intended primarily to be educational. 



During recent years a small wheat-testing mill has been 

 installed which will enable new crosses to be tested for 

 their milling qualities, as was done by Mr. Farrer, and 

 so prevent the waste of time in cultivating varieties which 

 later are found to be useless on account of their poor 

 milling quality. An interesting investigation has been 



