74 



productiveness, quality, and earliness of maturing. That there are varieties 

 more productive and earlier in ripening than others has been abundantly 

 proven. 



During a five years' test of 41 varieties of oats, all of them sown each year 

 on the same dav and on ad.ioining plats, the results have shown the relative 

 productiveness of certain sorts. Each year a list has been published of the 

 heaviest-yielding 12 in the series, and during the whole period of five years 

 only 15 of the 41 varieties have found their way into this select list, and 1) 

 of these have appeared among the best 12 every year. 



Similar evidence has been furnished with spring wheat, ol varieties of which 

 have been under trial for a like period. In this instance 16 of the 31 sorts 

 have appeared among the best-yielding 12 during the five years' trial and 9 of 

 these v.-irieties havcappeared each year in that list. The evidence as to per- 

 sistent productiveness in certain varieties of barley is still more strildng. 



In the oat plats the difference in e-rop is large, ranging fvnm S'.» bushels to 

 42 bushels. Spring wheat has ranged from ol to 10 bushels, barley from 5S 

 to 33 bushels, and peas from 40 to 20 bushels. 



The importance of growing those varieties which will give the largest crops is 

 manifest when we consider the very large areas under cultivation. Taking the 

 acreage in Canada alone devoted to the oat crop, which is very small cimipared 

 with the United States, an increase there of a single bushel per acre to the 

 average crop adds to the profits of Canadian farmers over a million of dollars. 



But it may be asked. How can farmers procure these prolific strains of seed? 

 The following is the method pursued in Canada : After careful and contiiuied 

 experiment lias shown that any variety is specially productive and promising, 

 this is cultivated on a larger scale so as to admit of the free distribution of 

 samples among the farmers of the Dominion. This grain is grown chiefiy at 

 the branch experimental farms in the west and distributed from the central 

 farm at Ottawa, where the samples can l>e sent free througli the mail. They 

 are sent out in strong cotton bags, the quantity of oats forwarded to each appli- 

 cant being 4 pounds, and of wheat and barley o pounds, sutficient in ea; h case 

 to sow one-twentieth of an acre. These samples are sent only on personal 

 application, and only one variety can be had by an applicant each year. 

 Under this restriction the number of samples sent out during the past eight 

 years has averaged 30,084, requiring about 70 tons of seed annually. Last year 

 this distribution reached over 40,000 farmers, and the interest felt in it is 

 steadily increasing. , , , , 



Not only is the grain sent out of high quality, but it is also thoroughly clean. 

 If a farmer takes reasonable care of the sample he receives, he can soon have 

 suflicient seed to sow a large area for himself and have a surplus to sell to his 

 neighbors. This mav perhaps be best illustrated by two or three extracts from 

 corres])ondents regarding oats, representing a large number of such letters 

 received. Similar testimony in regard to samples of wheat and barley could be 



given 



A farmer from Dauphin, Manitoba, writes : •' The sample bag of 4 pounds 

 of oats sent me two years ago gave me the fii-st year 5 bushels. This year we 

 sowed these on 2 acres, and we got 217 bushels." 



A correspondent from Laurel, Ontario, says : " ^\'e got a sample of oats from 

 vou six years ago, and tliey gave us great satisfaction. The people about here 

 think very highly of them, and there are thousands of bushels of them grown. 

 The farmers aiecoming here for seed for 20 miles around." 



Another farmer from Carleton Place, Ontario, says: "The oats I got from 

 the experimental faru. some years ago have been worth a great deal of money 

 to me, in increased yield and increased price, as I have sold quite a quantity 



for seed." . ,, ^, , ^ , • , 



Another farmer from Fiedmont, Nova Scotia, writes : The oats, of which a 

 sample was received three years ago. proved an excellent variety. I had 420 

 bushels last vear. They yielded 74 bushels to the acre." 



It is thus apparent that with attention and care any farmer may soon provide 

 himself under this liberal arrangement witli the best and most productive 

 strains of seed in sutficient ouantities for a large area at no cost to himselt 

 beyond that of his own lal)or. . ^ , 



The recent increase observed in the vearly average of cereal crops in Canada, 

 which is very considerable, is no doubt due in large measure to the more 

 general cultivation of highly productive varieties brought about by these annual 

 distributions. 



