DIVISION OF CEREALS 



785 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, BRANDON, MAN. 



W. C. McKILLICAN, B.S.A., SUPERINTENDENT. 



The season of 1913 was a favourable one for the testing of cereal crops. That does 

 not mean that it was a particularly good year for the production of hea^'y crops, but 

 rather that it was nearly a normal Manitoba season, so that results obtained should 

 be more valuable than those obtained in unusual or freakish seasons. The season 

 opened with fine bright weather in the month of April, which gave an opportunity to 

 get grain sown in good condition. Cool weather in May made rather slow germination. 

 June and July were very dry, with a total rainfall for the season up to July 31 of only 

 .5-33 inches. August brought some heavy rainstorms which lodged the oats. The latter 

 part of August and all September were excellent harvest weather. 



TEST OF VAEIETIES. 



The usual tests of varieties of cereal crops were conducted again this season. 

 In order to lessen the danger of error, due to variation in the S'oil and other local causes, 

 two plots were sown of each variety. The order of the plots was arranged so as to have 

 each variety affected equally by any difference in soil between one side of the field and 

 the other. The average yield of tlie two plots was used in computing the yield per 

 acre. All plots were one-fortieth of an acre in area. 



SPEING WHEAT. 



Four named varieties of spring wheat were tested. They were sown on April 22, 

 at the rate of 1^- bushels per acre. The land was sandy loam, and was summer-fallowed 

 the previous year. The season was favourable for a really fair test of the varieties ; it 

 was nearly normal, but rather dry in the earlier months. The following results were 

 obtained : — 



Spring Wheat — Test of Varieties. 



Marquis has again proved its superiority in earliness and productiveness. Garton's 

 No. 46, while a heavy yielding sort, i? no better than Marquis in that regard, and is 

 distinctly inferior to it in milling quality, in strength of straw, and in being bearded 



