752 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 

 CORRESPONDENCE. 



The correspondence carried on by the Cereal Division is very heavy. Most of it 

 comes in the winter months and is connected with the distribution of seed grain. 

 Some idea of the extent of this work may be gathered from the following figures: — 



Letters received direct , 13,131 



Letters received through other offices (estimated) 6,500 



Letters despatched, English .. .. 3,505 



Letters despatched, French (estimated) 800 



Printed letters and circulars despatched (English and 



French) 27,916 



The estimated totals are therefore: — 



Letters received 19,631 



Letters and circulars despatched 32,221 



In explanation of the above, it should be stated that while the records of the 

 in-coming and out-going letters, etc., are accurate, an exact account of the letters 

 transferred to this office from the other offices on the Central Farm is not available. 



In order to reduce as much as possible the number of typewritten letters, printed 

 replies are kept on hand, by means of which many hundreds of inquiries are answered 

 every year. These are classified above along with the circulars, though they might 

 fairly have been counted with the letters. 



VISITS TO BRANCH FARMS AND STATIONS. 



The regular annual visits were paid to the branch Experimental Farms and 

 Stations, those in the west being visited in June and July, and those in the east in 

 August and September. The latter part of July and the early part of August wore 

 spent at Ottawa as usual. There is a great deal of very important work in the selec- 

 tion of plants to be done at that period, and it has seemed advisable thus far for the 

 Dominion Cerealist to keep this work entirely in his own hands. 



On the western trip, in addition to the older Fai-ms and Stations, a visit was 

 paid to the new station at Sidney, B.C. Arrangements have been made to carry on 

 experiments there in autumn-sown varieties of cereals which cannot be depended upon 

 to succeed regularly at any of the other locations. 



On the eastern journey, the new stations at Kentville, N.S., and Fredericton, 

 N.B., and Ste. Anne de la Pocatiere, Que., were visited for the first time. It is 

 proposed to carry on variety tests of cereals in a limited way, and the growing of 

 seed grain for sale, at each of these stations. 



MARQUIS WHEAT. 



For the third time in succession, Marquis wheat has won the highest award in 

 international competitions. Last autumn at the International Dry Farming Con- 

 gress at Tulsa, Oklahoma, the first prize was given to an exhibit of Marquis wheat 

 grown by Mr. Paul Gerlach of Allan, Sask. 



It is certainly a noteworthy record for any variety of wheat to gain three such 

 awards as have now been won by Marquis in the last three years; and in view of these 

 successes it is not too much to claim that this variety is the most remarkable wheat 

 known in North America. Many requests for samples of Marquis reach us from 

 foreign countries, from farmers and scientific agriculturists who have heard of its 

 high rank on this continent. 



Ottawa. 



