REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR U 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



surroundiiig Innisfail, considerable quantities of wheat were seen, some of it winter 

 corts. In a similar drive about Red Deer several fields of winter wheat weie noticed. 



Mr. Joseph W. Smith, Red Deer, P.O., had 18 acres of winter wheat which gave 

 In'm 51 bushels per acre. We saw this wheat, which was very good and plump. 



Another farmer a short distance from Red Deer sowed three bushels of Turkey 

 Red wheat on a little less than three acres of land and threshed 151 bushels. Ihis was 

 the first experiment with Turkey Red in that locality. 



In travelling from Blackfalds to Lacombe, ©ne large field of winter wheat was 

 seen recently sown and well up, and another large field in stook near Lacombe. Dur- 

 ing a drive in that neighbourhood other fields were seen. 



While in Edmonton two days were occupied in driving about the country, but not 

 much winter wheat was seen there. Had time permitted us to visit a larger number 

 cf farmers in Northern Alberta we should no doubt have seen many more fields of 

 this grain. 



In the annual report of the Department of Agriculture for the North-west Terri- 

 tories for 1904, the total area of winter wheat grown that year in the several districts 

 included in that part of the province we visited is given as follows : — 



District No. 12 — Edmonton, Strathcona and Wetaskiwin: Winter wheat 47 acres; 

 average crop, 13 .•23 bushels per acre. 



District No. 13 — Red Deer, Lacombe and Ponoka: Winter wheat, 344 acres; acer- 

 ?ge crop, 30 '24 bushels per acre. 



District No. 14 — Innisfail, Olds and Didsbury, including the country adjacent to 

 +he Calgary and Edmonton railway from Carstairs to Penhold : Winter wheat, 915 

 acres; average crop, 21:95 bushels per acre. 



From these figures it will be seen that winter wheat is being tested over a large 

 area in Northern Alberta, but it does not yet occupy that prominent position as a crop 

 which it does in the southern parts of the province. 



The results of the experiments which have been tried seem to show that the cli- 

 matic conditions prevailing in Northern Alberta are favourable for the growth of 

 winter wheat; nnd if further experiments confirm the idea now prevailing that there is 

 a gain of ten days in the time of ripening and a heavier average yield, these potent 

 factors may lead to the cultivation of this grain in the north in much larger quantities. 

 Spring wheat is of course grown successfully over the greater part of the settled 

 country, and the acreage under this crop is rapidly increasing. 



When considering the advantages attending the growing of winter wheat in 

 Alberta it should be borne in mind that the land cannot be used so advantageously as 

 in the case of spring wheat. Only one crop of winter wheat can be had in two years, 

 unless an early spring crop be grown, such as oats or mixed grain cut green for feed 

 early enough to admit of the land being ploughed in time for the sowing of winter 

 wheat. Spring grain might of course follow winter wheat, to be siiceeeded by summer 

 fallow, which would give two grain crops in three years. 



In carrying out this investigation a large area of country has been covered, in- 

 volving over 800 miles of railway travel and over 300 miles by vehicle. 



EXPERIMENTS IN GROWING FARM CROPS IN THE YUKON. 



With the object of gaining some information as to the agricultural possibilities of 

 some parts of the Yukon Territory, a course of experiments was planned in consulta- 

 tion with the Comptroller of the Royal North-west Mounted Police, who has very 

 kindly co-operated with me in this matter. He has given directions for the proper 

 distribution of the material sent, and both the officers and men of the police force 

 deserve many thanl^s for the kindly interest they have taken in this work. 



Th,e packages of grain, grass seeds and potatoes were forwarded from Ottawa on 

 April 18, 1905, but owing to the lack of mail facilities for carrying packages in that 

 distant region during the winter months they did not reach Dawson until early in 

 June which was too late for uniform success in that climate. 



