REPORT OF THE CEREALIST 139 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Las persistently advocated for some years, is now recognized almost universally as 

 being the best, and the older methods, which involve continuous selection through a 

 series of years, are rapidly becoming obsolete. 



DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLES OF SEED GRAIN AND POTATOES. 



The annual distribution of seed grain and potatoes, which has hitherto been under 

 the immediate charge of the Director, has been transferred to the Cereal Division. 



Certain changes in details have been made at the same time. In order that dupli- 

 cation may be avoided, it has been arranged that, in future, the regular distribution of 

 samples of spring wheat, oats, barley, peas and Indian corn will be carried on from the 

 Central Farm only, while potatoes are to be sent out from all of the principal Farms, 

 the Central Farm supplying only the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For this year, 

 however, the new plans could not be fully carried out as the Branch Farms had not, 

 in all cases, a sufficient stock of potatoes to enable them to meet the demand for 

 samples. 



It is intended that the surplus grain at the Branch Farms shall be sold for seed 

 purposes, in quantities of (usually) two to five bushels to each purchaser. 



The samples sent out free by mail are of the following weights. 5 lbs. of wheat 

 and barley, -4 lbs. of oats and 3 lbs. of peas. Indian corn and potatoes. 



Applicants writing for a sample are expected to give particulars in regard to the 

 soil on their farm and the varieties which they have already tested, so that a suitable 

 kind may be sent. Only one sample can be sent to one farm. 



It is imperative that the crop raised from the sample should be threshed by hand, 

 vnless a very small threshing machine, which can be thoroughly cleaned, is available. 

 Such hand threshing may involve some care and labour, but the distribution is not 

 expected to be of benefit to farmers who are unwilling to take any trouble to propagate 

 their grain in pure condition. 



Though the distribution is not quite finished at the time of writing this report, the 

 figures published will be revised before the report is printed so as to include the whole 

 of the samples sent out. In this way it will be possible to publish in the present 

 report the details in regard to the distribution carried on during the winter and spring 

 months of 1910-11; which would otherwise not be made public until the issue of the 

 next report a year later. 



The seed grain distributed this winter was grown chiefly at Indian Head, Sask., 

 and Brandon, Man., last season. Some of the potatoes and a small amount of the 

 seed grain were grown at Ottawa. 



The following table gives the weight per bushel and the percentage of vitality of 

 the most important lots of seed distributed, also the farm where grown and the yield 

 per acre on the field from which the seed was obtained. 



The determinations of the vitality were made before the grain was cleaned for dis- 

 tribution. In most instances, the seed as distributed would show a higher percentage 

 of germination than that given in the table. 



