92 



a contention of mine, to the effect that in the low-rainfall districts of South 

 Australia six- row barleys will be found to be more resistent to drought than 

 wheat, because the earlier and more rapid growth of the former will generally 

 enable them to escape the full effects of early summer heat and drought. 



Independently of questions of rainfall, it is customary in Tunisia to allot 

 to barley the lighter types of soil, and to wheat the heavier ones. And, con- 

 trary to general South Australian practice, in Tunisia barley is generally 

 sown before wheat. 



The wheats almost exclusively grown in Tunisia are the flinty Macaroni 

 wheats, belonging to the Triticum durum section ; indeed they appear to be 

 the only wheats ever grown by the native agriculturists. The following 

 are some of the reasons usually given f^r the exclusive use of these flinty 

 wheats : Their great resistance to red rust ; the fact that they are rarely 

 lodged by rough weather ; and that at harvest time they are less subject 

 to the attacks of sparrows and other granivorous birds. The " bird question" 

 has been given a curious solution in Tunisia, which I think worth quoting 

 here. I was told that a public regulation was in existence to the effect that 

 nobody shall possesss in the country a tree the main trunk of which shall 

 exceed 6ft. or 7ft. in height ; in other words, for the special protection of 

 standing crops it has been decreed that all tall trees shall be pollarded. 



Numerous local varieties of these flinty wheats, all of which are bearded, 

 are cultivated in the Regency, where the impression prevails that they are 

 hardier and better able to withstand adverse climatic conditions than the 

 soft wheats of Europe. Some years back, with a view to testing this fact, I 

 imported from Tunis, for trial at Rose worthy, several of the best known of 

 these varieties. After five consecutive years' experience of them, it may be 

 stated that they did not come up to expectations. I have summarised 

 below in tabular form the results secured at Roseworthy, comparatively 

 with the results secured from King's White grown under similar conditions, 

 and our general farm average. 



Yields of Flinty Tunisian Wheats grown at Roseworthy comparatively with 

 the Yield of King's White and the General Farm Average Yield. 

 1908. 1909. 1910. 



