THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE YIELD OF INDIAN WHEAT. 195 



behave like Manitoban good grade wheats produced in a drj' season. 

 That is to say, they like such Manitobans, respond very markedly 

 to the addition of malt extract and " yeast foods " and the volume 

 of the loaf can be increased very greatly by the use of the right 

 malt extract. They seem to be possessed of very good qualities, 

 capable, under favourable conditions, of yielding extremely good 

 results. 



"I have not enough of these varieties left to see how they 

 behave in combination with other wheats, but I believe they would 

 do very well indeed under such conditions. At any rate, I would, 

 as a buyer, be prepared to pay substantially more money for them 

 than for any of the ordinary Indian wheats of commerce." 



Translated into money the improved Pusa wheats are worth 

 from 8 to 10 annas a maund more than the ordinary wheats of 

 commerce. When we consider that the annual export trade in 

 Indian wheat amounted in 1904-05 to over 2,000,000 tons valued 

 at 18 crores of rupees it is clear that a much smaller general im- 

 provement than has already been obtained would greatly benefit 

 the cultivator and the merchant. It is bound to be to the advant- 

 age of all concerned to deal in an improved product. 



VI. The Consumption of Wheat in India. 



Bj^ far the largest portion of the wheat grown in India is con- 

 sumed in the country. Anything from 80 to 90 per cent, of 

 the total crop is used locally, the balance being exported. The 

 question naturally arises what wheats are preferred by the people 

 for their own food. From the point of India this question is more 

 important than that of the wheats in greatest demand on the 

 English market. Fortunately for the improver of Indian wheats 

 the same class of produce best suits the local demands of India and 

 also the requirements of the Home millers. If we can improve 

 the wheats in greatest demand in India for food we shall at the 

 same time fulfill the demands of the trade. There is therefore only 

 one objective. 



During the past four years we have constantly made enquiries 

 in the villages of the Plains as to the wheats preferred by the culti- 

 vators for their own food. They invariably show us hard reds or 



