Please wait. Contacting image service... loading
Hide article pages Show article pages
  1. Page 3
    Page 3 thumbnail
  2. Page 4
    Page 4 thumbnail

Article text

On this Page 3
GAMBERRA WHEAT.
The Melbourne "Leader" says:-A fea
ture of the resulte of the experiment
wheat plots in New South Wales during
the post season was the success of Can
berra, a comparatively now variety. Tht
seasonal conditions suited its early matur-
ing characteristics-a dry season after
the early sprjng rains and an absence ol
late frosts at its flowering stage in most
districts.
Federation in these trials demonstrated
that it has not depreciated in bag-filling
qualities. As ever, it nroved to be a good
cropper when the season was going against
the harvest. In the circumstances the fact
that Canberra headed Federation in the
collective results is a disliuct tribute to
the' worth of tlte former ag a commercial
variety. '
lu 10 out of 27 of these tests Can-
berra, headed the list in yield while filling
second place in three olhere and third in a
further two. These plots were located in
Riverina, the south-west and contrat
-west.-. Federation was also sown on Í.7
plots, and scored three -firsts;' six seconds;
and ¡six third's. . These. records cover plots
in .30 different ?*heaj, districts and '?*&»
following table shows the*' positions occu-
pied , b¿ . ~the" varieties Which gained
places :-? -..'.'? ?'?>
Plots. 1st. 2nd .3rd.
Canberra ...... 27 10 3 2
Federation ........ 27 3 6 6
Bomen .... .... H 3 2 2
líaajd Federation ..20 2 1 2
Warden ........ 8 2 0 o
Marshall's No. 3 .. ll . 1 2 3
Yandilla King .... 19 1 2 3
Imp. Steinwedel ..10 1 I 2
Rymer..17 1 1 1
Florence ...... 4 1 I 0
Cleveland. 6 I 1 0
Currawa ...... ll I O 1.
Gluyas Early .. .. 2 1» 1 0
Major.I 24 0 6 0
Sunset' . 3 0 2 1
Canberra is a hybrid between Federation
and Volga, * two-rowed type obtained as
an impurity in a sample of wheat received
from Russia. Although classed by the De-
partment of Agriculture as a Farrer
variety, it was realty bred »at the Wagga
Experiment Farm by Mr. R. Hirst, for
many years past a devoted worker on the
stud plots at that farm: It is only five
.years since thc variety was named bp ¿he
department, end to-'far it' has not been
frown much by farmers as a" field crop,
ts outstanding showing among early ma
I turing varieties, however, may be expected
! lo direct the attention of wheat grower«
to Canberra.
It is not usual to expect better than
medium yield* from these early-maturing
varieties,- because more often than not they
av« sown late as a chance crop. Canberra
has proved an exception in this respect,
and besides its general record, it gave the
highest individual yield of any variety tn
all these plot triât. This was 34 bushels
351b. per acre, at Eurembia, in the Molong
district.
In growth Canberra is erect, the straw
%eing of .medium height, white, and rainer
slender. It stools fairly well, with a mode- . "
rate quantity of erect-leaves. The grain "
is of medium size, slightly elongated, yel-
low, and- with a medium deep crease. /- ,.
-departmental note sara:-"It ripens quite
as carly as Comeback, and is likely to
prove specially -suitable for grain produc-
tion in the south-western slopes and River- -
ina, and in the central western slopes. A
slight tendency to shell has bead Rottend,
and the straw somewhat wheat, but it pas
stood up satisfactorily at Wagga ' Experl
ment Farm,where it has yielded consistently
well for the past five years." As to the
remark regarding its liability to shell, it -
.may be mentioned at Trangie Farm In

1917 a crop of Canberra stood two months
after ripening without shedding, and ae
" spite the wet ^season the grain did r.ot

bleach. In milling tests Canberra, his
yielded a high percentage of flour, which
is of excellent-colour. It belongs to the
medium strong flour class, like Federation,
Marshall's No. 3, Yandilla Kin3 and oth-sr
extensively grown varieties.

$