REPORT OF THE CERE A LI ST 143 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



WEATHER. 



The spring of 1910 opened very early, and an unusually good opportunity was 

 afforded for sowing cereals. The sowing of the wheat plots was begun on April 13. 

 The weather remained cool for several weeks and frost did some damage to beans and 

 potatoes at the end of May. For cereals, however, conditions were very good until 

 a period of rather severe drought occurred in the early summer. This did not seriously 

 affect those plots which were situated on the best land; but on those portions of the 

 fields where the soil was easily dried out, the crop was very greatly reduced. The later 



cart of the season was of about a normal character. 



i 



SPRING WHEAT. 



EARLY-RIPENING VARIETIES. 



The most important early-ripening varieties of wheat recently introduced are 

 Marquis and Early Red Fife. Both are beardless sorts similar to Red Fife, but ripen- 

 ing earlier. The kernels of Early Red Fife are indistinguishable from the ordinary 

 Red Fife, but the kernels of Marquis are somewhat shorter and of a slightly deeper 

 colour as a rule. Both are hard wheats, giving flour of first-class strength and colour 

 for bread-making. 



These two wheats have now been tested at various points, and while it is yet too 

 soon to draw a final conclusion as to their relative merits, it may be said that the 

 general opinion favours Marquis. This wheat is proving extraordinary successful in 

 the prairie provinces. Early Red Fife has also don© very well, but it appears to be 

 rather more subject to rust than Marquis. Further experience will be needed before 

 this point can be considered as definitely settled, but, in the meantime, Marquis can 

 be recommended as the best early-ripening spring wheat at present available for 

 Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. 



In the eastern and western provinces, these two varieties can scarcely be said 

 to have proved of remarkable value. Additional trials are necessary. Such sorts as 

 Preston and Huron, though somewhat inferior in baking strength, have given excellent 

 returns, and the advantage of Marquis and Early Red Fife from a baker's point of 

 view counts for comparatively little in the older provinces where many farmers still 

 continue to grow White Russian and Colorado, both very poor wheats for bread rank- 

 ing, the latter being indeed one of the poorest sorts in cultivation. 



Marquis wheat has attracted a good deal of attention outside of Canada and in 

 response to requests received, samples have been sent for test to the United States, 

 Great Britain, Austria, South Africa and elsewhere. • 



TEST OE VARIETIES AT OTTAWA. 



The regular test plots of spring wheat wore sown on April ]3 and 14, ihe seed being 

 u'ed at the rate of about one and one-half bushels to the acre. The durum varieties 

 Mire sown separately on April 22, using about one and three-quarter bushels of seed 

 riur acre. It has been thought best to include these varieties in the table with the 

 ordinary sorts of spring wheat, so that the relative yields of the different kinds may be 

 more readily seen. 



The following table includes only the most important plots. The varieties men- 

 tioned without names are new cross-bred sorts, produced by the Dominion Cerealist, 

 which are not yet ready for distribution. Those varieties which have a letter after the 

 name are new strains propagated from single selected plants. 



The yield per acre is expressed in pounds and also in ' bushels ' of sixty pounds. 



The character of the straw is indicated by marks on a scale of ten points, accord- 

 ing to the proportion of the plot standing erect at harvest time. 



* Named varieties and selected strains produced at the Central Experimental Farm 

 are marked with an asterisk. 



