REPORT OF THE CEREALIST 203 



SEXSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



ticular earliness, and H is only a trifle ahead of ordinary Red Fife, but B is distinctly 

 earlier. Though the advantage of Red Fife B is usually only a few days, and under 

 some conditions may be scarcely noticeable, it is likely to be of great importance for 

 certain sections of Canada. This wheat is to be introduced under the name of Early 

 Red Fife as soon as practicable. 



SELECTION OF CROSS-BRED VARIETIES. 



A full description of the method of cross-breeding in cereals was published in the 

 annual report of last year. It is unnecessary, therefore, to give any of the details in 

 this connection. It may be worth while, however, to point out that cross-breeding is 

 usually essential for the production of radically new varieties, and that by this method 

 we may fairly expect to produce any new combination we desire of the characteristics 

 of existing sorts. 



Cross-breeding must of course be followed by selection for several years in order 

 to obtain fixed types. The best method of selection under these circumstances is 

 similar in principle to that which has just been described. The seed of each original 

 cross-bred plant is sown in a separate group. At harvest time the most promising 

 plants in the group are selected. These are carefully studied during the winter 

 months and those of least desirable character are rejected. The seed of each plant 

 retained is sown the next season in a group by itself, and this process is repeated for 

 as many years as may be necessary, until finally one or more fixed, uniform groups 

 are produced from each original cross-bred plant. As many of these groups as are 

 desired may be retained, but each must be propagated as a separate variety, for none 

 will be exactly like any of the others. 



Usually from four to six years elapse before groups are obtained which are quite 

 fixed in regard to the eight or ten characters which are commonly observed in cereals. 

 If the work were done on an enormous scale, some fixed types could be obtained at an 

 earlier stage. 



SEED SELECTION FOR FARMERS AND SEED GROWERS. 



The task of producing new varieties of cereals or of isolating the best strains of 

 older sorts seems to belong to the seed specialist; though certain parts of this work 

 are i>erfectly feasible for any enthusiastic farmer who desires, and can spare the time, 

 to make a hobby of it. Most seed growers, however, would probably do better by testing 

 on their farms a few different varieties of grain, choosing those most suitable to their 

 own conditions, and then confining their attention to the maintenance of the purity 

 of each sort grown. This, of course, presupposes that at least a small quantity of seed 

 of each sort can be obtained in pure condition to begin with. This can usually be 

 done without very much difficulty. 



For the maintenance of the purity of his grain some such method as the follow- 

 ing — which will be found both easy and effective — may be followed. The farmer 

 should choose a particularly clean and fertile piece of land for his special seed plot. 

 In sowing the grain it is advisable to stop up about every eighth spout in the seed 

 drill, so as to facilitate walking through the standing grain later in the season. If 

 only a few pounds of pure seed are available the first season a small plot must be sown, 

 but when a larger quantity of seed is on hand, one or two acres (or more) may be 

 sown as a special seed plot — ^^enough to provide all the seed required for the following 

 year. The seed plot should be gone through once or twice during the growing season 

 and everything that looks false to the desired type of grain should be removed. This 

 should be done again just before the grain is cut. The task may appear formidable 

 to any one who has not tried it; but it is really by no means difficult. If the special 

 seed plot covers only a small fraction of an acre, it is imperative that the crop should 

 be threshed by hand, as otherwise it will almost certainly be seriously mixed with 



