REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AXD BOTANIST 255 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Ever since the institution of tlie Experimental Farms, much attention has heen 

 paid in our experiments with cereals to the problem of rust-resistance. Seed grain 

 has been obtained from all parts of the world. The Australian and many other varie- 

 ties said to be of s}x?cial quality have been secured and experimontcd with, with a vie^^ 

 to ascertaining the rust-resisting power of each. A vast amount of useful inforr-a- 

 tion will be found by looking through the annual reports of the Experimental Farms, 

 where in the tables of yields of varieties, a special column is devoted each year to 

 the amount of injury by rust on every vpxiety of wheat and oats grown at the differ- 

 ent Branch Farms. The result of these experiments, as stated above, is that no variety 

 of wheat or oats, so far, has been found ^.vhieh is perfectly free from rust, althougli 

 by constant selection those varieties arc being separated, which have the greatest 

 power to resist 'the attack of the parasites. 



It may be mentioned here that up to the present time experiments in spraying grain 

 fields with Bordeaux mixture and other fungicides for the prevention of rust have not 

 been attended with any success. 



ENCOURAGIKG FEATURES. 



There are some features of the rust epidemic of 1904 which may well be borne 

 in mind by western farmers. 



1. The extent of injury this year was much influenced by the unusual season, 

 owing to which all crops were later than usual. Tlis spring was late, cool and drv, 

 followed by hot weather, which suddenly changed at harvest time to dull, wet weather 

 of long duration. The result of these conditions was that, at the time when wheat 

 and oats should have been ready to cut, which was the exact time when the rust ap- 

 peared this year, not only were grain crops in an exceptionally late and succulent 

 state, but the atmospheric conditions, which were very' unusual for the region, were 

 just such as would allow of the rapid development of parasitic fungi. 



2. Such an extensive outbreak of rust is without any precedent in the history of 

 the Canadian West. 



.". As in ordinary seasons rust has been almost unknown in the West, such exten- 

 sive injury as was experienced in 1904, must be considered as exceptional and not 

 likely to occur again for ^nany years. 



J. Fletcher. 



PERMANENT PASTURES. 



The following table gives* the yields from the permanent pasture experimental 

 plots for the past four years: — 



