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276 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ocr., 1897, 
On reaching the vegetable garden and orchard, we find Mr. Gorrie, the 
horticulturist, hard at work with his squad of gardeners, cultivating the crops 
of cauliflowers, cabbage, peas, &c., &c. Some are hoeing between the rows; 
others ploughing with a reversible mould-board plough; others watering, 
gathering, and packing vegetables in crates, and collecting damaged vegetableg 
for the pigs. Nothing is wasted. There are no unsightly heaps of decaying 
cabbage leaves, pea haulms, &c., but all is carefully carted away to be utilised 
in some form or other. 
One of the, at present, most interesting and valuable experiments being 
made is that now being carried on with wheat. 
There are 845 different varieties of wheat sown on the experiment 
ground. These were all sown by hand between the 4th and Sth June. Bach 
variety is marked and numbered, and its name, date of sowing, peculiarity of 
growth, &c., are all entered in a book specially kept for the purpose, so that 
any variety can be at once found and identified. They have made the most- 
remarkable growth—in fact, the season has been so favourable and the goil go 
rich that the rank growth has had to be repeatedly checked by a merciless use 
of the hoe, and still there is a superabundance of growth which is undesirable. 
This is also the case on all the farms we visited at Laidley and Forest Hill, 
where some of the farmers are cutting it down to enable them to get a good 
return from the after-growth. 
A very large proportion of the varieties sown is either rust-proof or rust- 
escaping ; the difference being that the rust-proof or, rather, rust-resisting kinds 
are rarely, if at all, affected by rust whenever sown, whilst the rust-escaping 
varieties are those which come to maturity early and thus escape the disease. 
It will be instructive to wheat farmers to note some of the varieties sown, 
many of them entirely new to Queensland, and which may prove to be valuable, 
productive kinds, well adapted either for milling purposes or for hay. 
Each variety hasa certain number of rows devoted to it, and where only 
two rows are sown it is an indication that that particular wheat is not of very 
great value so far as is known at present. We first observe six rows of Thomas’ 
Rust Proof, which Professor Shelton says will prove a good wheat for both 
farmer and miller. Following these come eight rows of Venning’s Rust Proof, 
a very excellent sort—a true rust-resisting wheat; but it is open to the 
objection of having a weak straw, which will affect the cutting very seriously. 
Mr. Shelton expresses himself as very favourably disposed towards a variety of 
rust-resisting wheat named Buckley’s. This, however, should be grown in 
comparatively poor land. f 
After these come twenty-seven varieties of true rust-resisting wheats, 
amongst which are Wheedon’s, Robin’s, Austin’s, Clark’s, Blount’s, Leake’s, 
Brigg’s, Australian Wonder, and Blount’s Lambrigge, &c., &c. Another good 
sort is Inglis’ Battle Field, so named on account of its having been discovered 
_on some ancient European battle-field. 
No. 18 Blount’s Rust Proof is a remarkable-looking variety, with a peculiar 
creeping habit, an enormous stooler, and a sort which would probably be 
worthy of cultivation for hay, for which, owing to the large amount of flag, it 
-would be well suited. 
‘ 
No. 22 is again a Battle Field wheat, but differs from that above mentioned - 
as Inglis’ Battle Hield. It is really a South Australian wheat, but is not very 
well known there. It is a very promising kind, with a strong straw. 
The next lots to come under observation are eighteen varieties known 
as ‘ Marshall’s.’ These were made a specialty by Mr. Marshall, of South 
Australia, who was most successful with them. 
The most striking wheats are now seen in the Indian rust-resisting 
varieties. ‘These stand erect, and are far in advance of the Australian, Russian, 
Swedish, and French sorts—in fact, they are already coming into ear, and 
should be ready for harvesting in another six weeks. It should, however, be 
remarked that, as these wheats came originally from a hot climate, they should 
be grown here under similar conditions. This is the true secret of success in 
