HC Deb 22 February 1911 vol 21 cc1891-2
Mr. CHARLES BATHURST

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, whether, in view of the importance to English bakers of blending the flour of the hard and strong wheats grown in Manitoba and other Canadian provinces with that of English-grown wheats to produce the texture and quality of bread most liked in this country, the certain prospective drain upon the sources of supply of the former as the result of the reciprocity treaty between the United States and Canada, the non-production of flour possessing the same characteristics in other parts of the world, and the successful results of the experiments conducted by the Cambridge Department of Agriculture in breeding wheats combining the baking qualities of the best Canadian with the cropping qualities of the best British wheats, the Board will apply for a special grant out of the Development Fund in order, in the interests both of the producer and the consumer, to promote the production of a much larger quantity of seed wheat of the above newly-established breeds for use by British farmers than the resources of the Department render possible?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir Edward Strachey)

The Board are fully aware of the importance of the subject to which the hon. Member refers, and in forming proposals for the consideration of the Development Commissioners, the Board have had in view the desirability of giving further assistance to the work now being done at Cambridge.

Mr. C. BATHURST

Is not this purpose at least as important and as beneficial to farmers generaliy as the breeding of light horses?

Sir E. STRACHEY

As I have already told the hon. Member we are considering the matter.