176 EXPERIMENTS WITH INDIAN WHEATS IN QUEENSLAND. 



The following papers were read : — 



EXPERIMENTS WITH INDIAN WHEATS 

 IN QUEENSLAND, 



BY 



J. BANCROFT, M.D., President. 



(Read on the 12th December, 1884.) 



The samples of wheat here shown have been for several years 

 grown at my garden, Kelvin Grove, from seeds originally 

 imported by the Board of Enquiry into Diseases of Live Stock 

 and Plants. This Board, commencing its labours in the year 

 1875 by a vote of the Legislature of £2000, in response to the 

 advice of Mr. Haley, had, among many things submitted to it 

 for solution, the question of rust in wheat, and considering the 

 success that had follow^ed the introduction of new varieties of 

 sugar-cane, w^hen the old Bourbon cane was nearly destroyed 

 by the rust-producing acarus, I encouraged the Board to obtain 

 seed w-heat from all over the world, and as from India 

 much wheat "was beginning to be exported, I obtained from 

 friends I had made there a considerable collection. Dr. 

 D3'mock, of Bombay, sent several sorts, and Mr. Anthony, 

 of Lahore, wrote to w^heat-growing districts and obtained 

 others. It was thought that wheat grown in about the 

 same range of latitude as Brisbane might be expected to suc- 

 ceed. Delhi, a great centre for wheat is in latitude 28'35, 

 and north and south of it, in the Punjab, wheat is extensively 

 growm, so it was reasonable to hope that in Brisbane, latitude 

 27'30, some form of wheat might be found that would withstanr' 

 the ravages of rust. The first sowings of new wheats took 

 place in the public gardens at Toowoomba, and out of curiosity 

 I had sowm at Kelvin Grove about a spoonful of each of the 

 Bombay sorts. 



Rye grew well at my garden and produced mature grain for 

 several years pi'evious, but the wheats then in cultivation in 

 Adelaide and on the Darling Downs invariably perished with rust 

 and like oats seldom pei'f ected any seed. Before these enquiries 

 I had been of opinion that rye was the only grain of the wheat 



