28 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



6 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



PLANT BREEDING. 



Believing that there is a great' opportxinity in Canada for the development of 

 fruits, vegetables and oruameutal plants especially suited to Canadian conditions, 

 more attention is being paid to plant breeding in the Horticultural Division. In 

 1913, breeding work was cai-ricd on with apples, pears, grapes, gooseberries, straw- 

 berries, corn, tomatoes, peas, beans and among flowers, with geraniums, sweet peas, 

 and columbine. A specialty is being made of the development of early fstrains of 

 vegetables, and some very promising ones were grown in 1913. Many new apples, 

 originated in the Horticultural Division, fruited and descriptions were made of them, 

 and some of the best named. Some good new plums of the Americana type were also 

 described. 



Work on the central card index system by which a record is kept of the experi- 

 ments in horticulture and lists of varieties at all the Farms and Stations was con- 

 tinued during the past year and is proving a ready means of reference. A bulletin 

 on Plum Culture was published during the year. Visits to the branch Farms and 

 Stations were made as usual. A number of important meetings were attended and 

 addresses given. 



CEREAL DIVISION. 



In spite of serious drawbacks in some sections of Canada the past season was, 

 on the whole, miusually favourable for cereals. 



In the Maritime Provinces, nearly all early-sown grain gave good results, and 

 the crops were harvested without difiiculty, but late-sown grain was badly damaged, 

 and in some cases quite ruilaed, by a prolonged period of wet weather in the early 

 autumn. 



A large area in Quebec and Ontario suffered from drought during, the greater 

 part of the summer. The yield was materially lessened, especially on such fields 

 as were sown late, but the quality of the grain was unusually good. It is doubtful 

 whether such bright, hard kernels of spring wheat have ever before been obtained 

 on the Central Experimental Farm and in the Ottawa valley generally. 



While conditions varied somewhat in different parts of Central and Weste:Ti 

 Canada they were favourable on the whole, and the crops harvested were rather 

 ahove the average in yield and quality. 



NEW VARIETIES OF CEREALS. 



The work with spring wheat is being given special attention by the Dominion 

 Cerealist, who has a large number of new crosis-bred varieties under observation. 

 Many new varieties of oats, barley, peas, and flax are also being tested, but the study 

 of most of these has not yet advanced far enough to warrant their introduction to the 

 public. Great care has to be exercised to avoid the premature introduction of varie- 

 ties which may prove disappointing when thoroughly tested. Attention may be 

 called to three of the Dominion Cerealist's new early maturing sorts of spring wheat. 



Prelude — This variety is in a clas? by itself. Its extraordinaiy earliness in 

 ripening makes it extremely valuable for high latitudes or high altitudes where 

 Marquis cannot be depended upon to ripen before there is danger of autumn frosts. 

 Prelude generally ripens about two weeks before Marquis. It does not generally give 

 a veft-y large yield, and it is seriously affected by drought in May or June; but 

 even with these limitations it is likely to be very valuable over large tracts of couo- 

 try, especially in northern Saskatchewan and northern and central Alberta. 



