284 



Manuring of Old Land Hay. [July, 



The area under wheat in Egypt in 1906 was 1,219,082 acres, 

 of which 586,249 acres were in Upper Egypt. The production 

 per acre is considered by expert local 



Wheat Growing in agriculturists to lie between 21 f and 

 Egypt. 24! bushels. The exports are unimpor- 



tant, and the imports come chiefly from 

 France, Russia, and England, but it is stated in The Year Book 

 of the Khedivial Agricultural Society, 1906, that an attempt is 

 now being made, on a small scale, to improve the crop by the 

 introduction of " strong " wheats fit for export to Europe. 

 High yield seems to be the primary local necessity, while next 

 to this is the need for a heavy straw crop. Immunity from 

 rust is also essential. Many wheats exist elsewhere which 

 fulfil all these requirements, but there is one other requisite 

 far more difficult to allow for — suitability to the Egyptian 

 climate. Many attempts have been made in the past to bring 

 in better wheats, but only " Indian " and Algerian wheats 

 have succeeded. Experiments are now being made on the lines 

 of those instituted by Mr. R. H. Biff en at Cambridge to breed 

 a wheat suitable to Egyptain conditions. Samples of new 

 wheats bred from Russian or American spring wheat have 

 given very heavy yields in Egypt, but were too late in maturing 

 and also too short in the straw. It is proposed to cross these 

 heavy-yielding varieties with strains of Indian wheat possessing 

 the qualities of long straw and early maturity. 



In Egypt, a good crop of Indian wheat compares favourably 

 in value with a moderate cotton crop ; the trouble of cultiva- 

 tion and the risk of loss from insect pests are far less for wheat 

 than for cotton, and the two can be grown on a three-year 

 rotation without prejudice to either. Although Egypt is at 

 present importing wheat for her own consumption, the Nile 

 Valley would seem to possess great capabilities as a wheat- 

 producing centre. 



The manuring of old land hay has been carried on experi- 

 mentally under the direction of the Agricultural Department 

 of Armstrong College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 

 Manuring of Old Land at 6 centres in Cumberland for 13 years, 

 Hay and Pasture. at 3 centres in county Durham for 6 years, 

 at Broomhaugh, Northumberland, for 13 



