24 BULLETIN 877, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Bunt, or stinking smut of wheat, is the most destructive wheat 
disease in the Pacific coast area. In general, the Australian varieties 
are susceptible. Of all the varieties under experiment only Florence, 
Cedar, and Genoa have shown marked resistance. In Australia 
the two diseases known as flag smut and take-all are very destructive. 
They have been found only recently in the United States in limited 
areas. 1 Flag smut has thus far been found only in one county in 
Illinois. Take-all has been found in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. 
They have never been found in the Pacific coast area. In order to 
prevent the further introduction of these diseases into the United 
States a quarantine regulation was established August 15, 1919, 
preventing the importation of wheat except under permit from coun- 
tries in which the diseases are known to exist. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
As a result of these investigations of Australian wheats in the 
matter of yields, water requirements, milling and bread-making 
value, and diseases, it has been decided to increase the stock of seed 
of the Hard Federation wheat at both Moro, Oreg., and Chico, Calif. 
White Federation also is being increased at Chico, because of its 
higher yield at that point. In 1920 both varieties will be under 
test at the agricultural experiment stations in several other sections 
of the Pacific coast area, and if favorable results are again obtained 
the increased quantity of seed will be distributed for commercial 
growing in the sections where the varieties appear to be best 
adapted. 
SUMMARY. 
The White Australian and Pacific Bluestem varieties of Australian 
wheat were long since found adapted to the Pacific coast area of the 
United States. These earliest grown varieties have been replaced 
in many sections recently by Early Baart, an earlier maturing, 
more drought resisting, higher yielding, and better milling Australian 
wheat. 
Preliminary nursery experiments with about 130 lots of Australian 
wheats recently introduced give striking indications that Federation, 
Hard Federation, and White Federation are probably the best 
adapted of all varieties in two sections of the Pacific coast area. 
These have been compared with the leading commercial varieties 
for two years and have produced higher yields. Hard Federation 
has produced the larger yields in Oregon, while White Federation 
has outyielded it in California. One cause for the higher yield of 
Hard Federation over Early Baart is shown to be a lower water 
requirement in proportion to the grain produced. 
1 Humphrey, H. B., and Johnson, A. G. Take-all and flag smut, two wheat diseases new to the United 
States. U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 1063, 8 p., 3 fig. 1919. 
