are to mankind, and the great value to the agricultural world of everj' improve 

 ment, however small it may be, it sefms a marvel that more effort has not been 

 made in this dii-eetion by those who are most familiar with the methods by which 

 such favourable changes are most frequently effected. While a great number of 

 workers are bringing much intelligence and long experience to bear upon the pro- 

 duction of new varieties of flowers, fruits and vegetables, by cross-fertilization and 

 careful selection, those engaged in the same course of work among cereals have been 

 but few; additional observei-s were needed, and are now being provided, to carry on 

 promising series of investigations, to carefully watch the changes being brought about 

 in important food products by varying climatic and other conditions, so that advan- 

 tage may be taken of such improvements as may be found to occur, and provision 

 also made to lessen the losses which would arise from continuing the cultivation of 

 such varieties as have become enfeebled and infertile. By carefully conducted 

 experiments such observers may ascertain what crops can be produced best and 

 cheapest, and what new lines of work can be undertaken by the farmer in view of 

 available mai-kets which will be likely to bring him increased returns. 



P>om the accompaning reports it will be seen that the Experimental Farms of 

 the Dominion of Canada have already done good service in these advanced methods 

 of experimental work having so important a bearing on agriculture ; the sphere of 

 their operations is being rapidly enlarged, and a wide field of usefulness lies before 

 them in the future. 



Every farmer is aware that there are many influences at work every year which 

 bear on his crops, and which do much to determine the proportion of profits which 

 his labour and skill shall bring. Some of these influences are more or less amenable 

 to his control, while othei's are not so. The general character of the season, whether 

 favourable or unfavourable, as far as this depends on the weather, it is bej'ond his 

 power to influence; but by varying his methods, so as to gain every possible advan- 

 tage, he may materially mitigate the evils which always accompany unfavourable 

 seasons. By getting his land into a thorough state of preparation in the autumn the 

 farmer can sow his seed at the earliest opportunity, and early sowing has a very 

 important bearing on the yield, and more especially so on grain crops, in an unftivour- 

 able year. The reason for this is not far to seek. The rapidity of growth and 

 development in grain depends very much on the quantity of I'oot surface employed in 

 absorbing the food required for growth. In the early days of spring root develop- 

 ment goes on very rapidly, even if the weather be so cold and backward as to retard 

 growth above, recently sprouted grain, under such conditions, will usually be found 

 to have a vigorous cluster of roots. 



RESULTS OF EAELY, MEDIUM AND LATE SEEDING. 



Some experience has been gained at the Central Experimental Farm during the 

 past season on this subject, which shows the importance of more general attention 

 being paid to early seeding. The particulars connected with the experiments under- 

 taken have recently been published in Bulletin No. 8, and the results are believed to 

 be of sufficient impoitance to be again summarized here. Six varieties of gi-ain were 

 chosen foi- the tests, two each of barley, oats and Avheat, and sufficient land of a uni- 

 form character provided to allow of six plots of one-tenth of an acre each being devoted 

 to each variety. Six of these wei-e sown on the 22nd of April, which was as early 

 as the ground could be worked, and six more every week until all the plots were 

 seeded. The foUoAving are the names of the varieties selected for the test: Barley — 

 Prize Prolific and Banish Chevalier (both two-rowed sorts) ; Oats — Prize Cluster 

 and Early Mace-horse; Spring wheat — Bed Fife and Ladoga. 



At the first sowing a new spring wheat, the Anglo-Canadian, was substituted 

 for the Race-horse oats, because these plots afforded the best opportunity at 

 command for testing the relative earliness and fertility of this new introduction 



