In reference to that, I may say that the wheat grown here in 1847 was infinitely superior in baking quality to any wheat we have now. Furthermore, the bread then used was generally griddle or pot-oven bread. The bread that is generally used now is bakers' bread, and that makes a very great difference. If the Deputies opposite were sufficiently interested in this matter they would know that, when the Glasnevin plant-breeding section interested themselves in the propagation of old native strains of wheat, they introduced the old native wheat from Tipperary into Glasnevin Experimental College. That wheat was supposed to be the direct successor of the wheat that was grown there about 80 years ago and which was considered to be the best strain of wheat grown in Ireland at that time. When that was examined here it was found that the one sample contained 65 different varieties. That is where Irish wheat seed had deteriorated for want of proper attention. The Minister, I notice here, has neglected even giving the proper attention to that aspect of this important subject of agriculture, and the important subject of wheat growing.
I notice here that the Faculty of General Agriculture that has taken over the Glasnevin College proposes to spend £24,000 as against £23,700 last year. The most important branch of that Faculty is the plant-breeding branch, to which a lectureship only has been given and, apparently, there is no provision to be made under this for a professorship. I can speak with authority on that for, as a member of the governing body of the university. I was a member of the committee that drafted the statute of this Faculty. I did my best there to have a professorship of plant-breeding, but I failed. I was, however, responsible for a lectureship in agricultural engineering, but the post was not filled, and apparently the Minister is not going to fill it now. The Minister ought to know— it would not be much trouble to him to find out—that the growing of wheat is essentially a matter for the laboratory first. Good hard milling wheat will grow in any country and in any climate in the world, but the same strain will not grow successfully in every country.
I have here a pamphlet issued by the Dominion cerealist, L. H. Newman, Ottawa, Ontario, in which he traces the development of wheat growing in Canada. When it was attempted there first it was a failure both in yield and quality. The first success that attended wheat growing in Canada was with the production of a breed of wheat by David Fife, a cross between Indian, American and Siberian wheats. This produced a wheat that suited the soil and climate of Canada. The Minister laughs at that, but that canny Scotchman knew what he was doing. It is a pity the Minister has not a little of his horse-sense. If he had he would make progress slowly, and would not start breaking up good grass lands in order to grow wheat to feed pigs and cattle, the market for which the Minister has killed. The Canadian plant-breeding station bred a wheat that enabled them to grow an additional 15,000,000 acres. If I may instruct the Minister a little, here is the result of the Canadian venture:
"Assuming that Marquis now occupies 15,000,000 acres, or approximately 75 per cent. of the area devoted to wheat in Canada, and that this area yields five bushels more than Red Fife would have yielded (had it been possible to grow Red Fife on the same land) we find that our harvests have been increased by 75,000,000 bushels annually. In other words we are able to realise probably £100,000,000 more from our wheat crop annually than would have been possible had we still to rely upon the variety with which we started."
Perhaps the Minister will learn something from that.