846 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ocr., 1899. 
period. The exhibits, from an educational point of view, were highly satisfac- 
tory. For instance, the 400 varieties of wheat (which would require a whole 
volume to adequately describe) were quite a revelation to many who are interested 
in cereal culture. The distinctive character of each was made quite clear, so 
far as the full length of straw and ear is concerned, by being neatly mounted 
on a neutral coloured background, which set them off in bold relief. 
Turning to the miscellaneous collection, the most prominent object (in the 
centre), as shown in the accompanying illustration, was a large frame, 
within which were mounted 84 varieties of natural and cultivated grasses. 
Perhaps the most attractive feature was the mass of specimens of enormous 
roots, such as mangel wurzels going over 40 lb. in weight, and carrots 2 feet 6 
inches long; one mammoth specimen, shown on the left in the photograph by a 
tickét placed upon it, turned the scale at 10 lb. This was a White Belgian, 
solid and crisp to the core. It is astonishing that more of these crops are not 
grown, when 40 tons of mangels to the acre can be gathered off good land with 
ordinary cultivation. Most dairymen who have rationed their stock on this 
root say that nothing increases the flow of rich milk so well. Carrots also can 
be grown very profitably in a loose friable soil. Hither of the above is quite 
independent of the weather when once through the ground. I may mention 
here that the horses on the farm have been fed lately almost exclusively on wheat- 
straw chaff, cow-pea chaff, and carrots. Comparatively speaking, very few 
people seem to know the value of these roots; some,in fact, do not know what 
they are. One funny remark I heard was: “Oh! look at the big radishes °— 
was it humour or ignorance ? 
Beneath these was shown an interesting assortment of 30 varieties of 
potatoes. These had been grown on land that would generally be considered 
by no means suitable, but by real good tilth and without the aid of manure it 
was made to produce a fair crop of marketable tubers from all the varieties ; 
and from the following sorts, viz. :—Irish Flounder, Magnum Bonum, The Bruce, 
Breere’s Peerless, Imperiater, &c., resulted first-class yields. 
Pumpkins were represented by 10 varieties, ranging in size from the small 
blue-skinned “ Crown” (table) to the large high-coloured “Premium.” This 
latter isa very useful sort. Where a slicer or pulper is not available, it is the 
_ best pumpkin for “ whole raw feeding ”—a very heavy cropper, and will yield in 
a dry time, when others will fail. 
Some large Grammas, Mexican Rios, and several squashes, cabbage, turnips, 
_ &e., are distributed through the group, and at the foot of these were placed rows 
of white canvas bags containing legumes in bulk, and many kinds of small seeds 
saved and cleaned on the farm. Here and there through the exhibit could be 
seen bottles also containing seeds and grains of rarer kinds. 
A prc pyramid of bearded wheats embellished the top left-hand corner, 
near to which might be seen a splendid specimen of the new Turkish vegetable 
marrow, 4: feet 6 inches long. (This novelty makes a splendid dish when cooked 
young.) The background was made up of other Cucurbite, interspersed with 
hands of wheats and heads of a new variety of Jerusalem corn, finishing off at 
the right with another pyramid composed of broom corn, millets, and cereals. 
A great quantity of many-coloured, fantastically-shaped, edible gourds were 
indiscriminately strewn all over the display, giving to the whole quite a lively 
effect. 
The two pillars in the foreground (which do not appear in the picture) were 
utilised for showing the full-length specimens of sorghums, millets, canes, Kafir 
corns, &¢., which were surrounded at the base with bags of chaff, including 
different straw chaffs, cow-pea chaffs, lucerne, &c. The products shown amounted 
to over 100. 
Mr. Ross adds that he anticipates a good yield from potatoes this season, as 
they have been planted on better land, and there will be a fair quantity of good 
sorts for disposal, either made up into collections or in parcels of individual 
varieties- The first crop will be just the thing for Southern coast planting. 
