33 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS ' 



' 5 GEOflGE v., A. 1915 



DIVISION OF rOKAGE PLANTS. 



The work of the Division of Forage Plants is in general of an entirely scientific 

 nature, the aim being : — 



1. To produce superior varieties and strains of forage crops. 



2. To ascertain the value of the diiferent varieties for the different environ- 

 ments of Caniadian soils and climate. 



3. To investigate thoroughly the value of both native and foreign plants 

 that are or may be used for fodder. 



Owing to the fact that the Division has only completed the second year of its 

 existence, the breeding work is not very far advanced, and definite results ciannot 

 be expected within the next two or three years. 



The breeding work which at present demands the greater amount of attention 

 is tliat witli leguminous forage plants and grasses. ' Among these two classes of 

 plants the species with which work on as large a scale as possible is being con- 

 ducted are : Alfalfa, red clover, alsike clover, timothy and orchard grass. 



CLOVERS AND ALFALFA. 



In the breeding of leguminous forage plants, including alfalfa and clovers, two 

 main objects are liept in view, namely, breeding for increased hardiness and breeding 

 for increased yield and superior quality. 



At present all the various commercial varieties of alfalfa and clovers are com- 

 posed of numerous radically different types, a few of which possess the desired char- 

 acters, and many that do not. This fact was very clearly demonstrated on the 

 alfalfa plots growing at the Central Experimental Farm during the early spring of 

 1913 when they were put to a very severe test, by the extreme freezing and thawing. 

 This test was so severe that some of the plots that had previously withstood several 

 winters were almost entirely killed out. The remaining plants, however, may be 

 said to represent hardy types, and the most desirable of them have been used (as a 

 basis of material for further breeding work, and were either self-fertilized or crossed 

 by hand. The resulting seed will be used next year to obtain individuals for pedigree 

 breeding. 



A similar course of procedure is also well under way with red clover and alsike, 

 the only difference being that, as the different individual plants of these two clovers 

 are sterile to their own pollen, the pedigree breeding must be accomplished by the 

 crossing of specially selected mother plants. 



In order to secure a strain of variegated alfalfa of known origin, crosses were 

 made between the true alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and yellow lucerne (Medicago 

 falcata). The individual plants obtained from the seed resulting from this cross 

 ■will be self-fertilized, and subsequent desirable segregations fixed by repeated self- 

 fertilization. 



As a source of material for further breeding work, 1,200 individual plants of 

 alfalfa of varied lyi^e were transplanted into the field, and it is hoped that next year 

 many desirable types will appear that will be fixed by either self-fertilization or 

 crossing. 



A corresponding number of individual plants of red clover were also transplanted 

 to the field during July, and will be used as a source of material for the selection 

 of suitable mother plants for crossing. 



In addition to this, a line of experiments for the production by mass selection 

 of hardy strains of red clover and alsike, was started this season at several of the 

 branch Farms and at Ottawa. Seed was obtained from several private growers and 

 eeedsmen in different parts of Canada. Each lot of seed has been used for two plote 



