REPORT OF MR. 8. A. BEDFORD 325 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The seed used for this test was very smutty Red Fife; the size of the plots was 

 one-fortieth acre, the soil a sandy loam summer-fallowed. All were sown on April 25 

 and harvested on September 29. 



How Treated. 



Smutty wheat sprinkled with 9 oz. of formalin to 10 p^alls. of water 



Smutty wheat steeped 5 minutes in 4^ oz. of formalin to 10 galls, of water 



Smuttj' wheat sprinkled with 1 lb. of bluestone to 1 pail of water 



Smutty wheat steeped 5 minutes in ^ lb. bluestone to 1 pail of water. . . 

 Smutty wheat not treated 



Yield per 

 Acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



38 

 37 

 35 

 35 

 33 



00 

 00 

 20 

 00 

 20 



A TEST OF SELECTED AND UNSELECTED SEED. 



During the past year Dr. Charles Saunders, Cerealist of the Dominion Experi- 

 mental Farms, made a careful selection of seed from a number of varieties of wheat, 

 with the object of eliminating the yellow skinned kernels and bringing the sample up 

 to a uniform grade and colour. A portion of the grain was sown here in one-twen- 

 tieth acre plots and adjoining plots of the same size were sown with unselected grain 

 of the same varieties. From the accompanying tables it will b3 noticed that the 

 selected gTain gave the best returns in every instance : — 



Bush. Lbs. 



Preston, selected by Dr. C. Saunders. 52 



" unselected, Brandon Experimental Farm 50 20 



Percy, selected , 43 20 



" unselected 35 20 



Stanley, selected 42 



" unselected 37 20 



Laurel, selected , . . 47 40 



" unselected 43 40 



White Fife, selected 47 20 



unselected 38 20 



Downy Riga, selected 40 



Riga, selected. ., 42 40 



Early Riga, unselected 38 



Note. — Roth the Riga and the Downy Riga were selections from the Early Riga. 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 



In the spring of 1899 arrangements were made for a series of rotation plots, the 

 principal object being the maintenance of the fertility of the soil by the ploughing 

 under of a leguminous crop every third year instead of the usual summer-fallow. 



As the first field selected for this purpose was flooded in 1902 and 1904, it was 

 considered unsuitable, and a new location was selected this year. 



The Red CloTcr was sown at the rate of 12 pounds per acre and mixed clovers in 

 the proportion of 8 pounds of Alfalfa and 6 pounds of Alsike per acre. These legum- 

 inous plants were ploughed under when they reached their fullest development. 



