1060 EXPERIMENTAL ^AI^S 



7 GEORGE V, A. 1917 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, SCOTT, SASK. 



MILTON J. TINLIKE, B.S.A., ACTING STJPEEINTENDENT. 



WEATHER. 



The season of 1915 was particularly suitable for testing cereal crops and also for 

 the production of heavy yields. All conditions were favourable, the rains during the 

 preceding autumn had penetrated to a considerable depth, and the frost during the 

 winter had followed the moisture down. The gradual thawing out of the moist soil 

 during the early summer, together with the copious June rains, provided an abundant 

 supply of moisture for plant growth. 



Seeding was general by April 13, which was one day earlier than the average. 

 Favourable spring weather, together with the increased area prepared for crop the 

 preceding autumn, facilitated seeding operations, so that a larger acreage than usual 

 was sown in seasonable time. 



The weather during May, June, and July was cooler than usual. In some sec- 

 tions frosts as late as June 16 froze the crop almost to the ground, but, owing to the 

 abundant supply of moisture, the crops rapidly recovered from this set-back, and made 

 an extremely quick growth. Commencing on August 3, warm, dry weather was ex- 

 perienced, which caused the crops to ripen in good season. 



Satisfactory weather conditions permutted rapid progress with harvesting and 

 threshing, with the result that the most profitable cereal crop ever harvested in north- 

 western Saskatchewan was saved in first-class condition. 



TEST OF VARIETIES. 



The cereal tests conducted during the past season included five named varieties of 

 wheat, five hybrid wheats rec-eived from the Dominion Cerealist, nine varieties of oats, 

 seven of barley, five of field peas, three of flax, and one of spring rye. 



In order to check up possible experimental errors, all tests were made in dupli- 

 cate. 



The field on which the tests were carried out, was summer-fallowed in 1914. The 

 soil was a dark chocolate clay loam. AU plots were one-fortieth of an acre in area. 



SPRING WHEAT. 



Five named varieties of spring wheat were sown on April 13. Seed was used at 

 the rate of 15 bushels per acre. 



The Red Fife lodged badly in both tests, while the Marquis stood up well on adjoin- 

 ing plots. 



It will be noted that the Prelude yielded almost equally well with the Pioneer and 

 ripened earlier. The latter variety was attacked by rust e-arlier in the season, which 

 decreased the yield and affected the quality of the grain. 



