276 Journal of Agruidture. [10 May, 1909. 



wheat-grower.s of Canada and the L'nited States do not. 1>\ anv means, 

 generallv grow the best wheats a\ailable. They seek for the prolific 

 rather than the best milling variety; but it is only a matter of time when 

 the agriculturist in every wheat-producing country must be seized with 

 the importance of growing the latter. Strong commercial needs evolved 

 from a general public opinion will then play no small part in determining 

 what \arieties shall te produced ; and it is reasonable to expect that the 

 countr\- that produces what is most in demand wall prosper. 



In order to encourage the settlement of the poorer land on wliich that 

 hardv plant, wheat, alone can at present te grown with commercial 

 success, a hard-and-fast rule cannot be laid down, but time will permit 

 the experimenter to produce suitable \arieties that can be grown success- 

 fullv in every district and on every soil that may reasonablv l^e suited to 

 the nature of the plant. 



Prolificacv in wheat depends on se\-eral factors, of primarv and of 

 secondary importance respecti\ely. These may be considered under three 

 main divisions, viz. : — 



{a) Climatic conditions ; 



U)\ Soil conditions ; 



ic) Inherent qualities of the varietv 



Climatic Conditions. — The climatic conditions naturally form the chief 

 factor in the successful growth of wheat, as with all plants. While wheat 

 lends itself to successful growth over wide latitudes and at variou.s alti- 

 tudes, still much discrimination has to be shoAvn in the selecticm of varie- 

 ties for special conditions of .soil and climate Naturally, the varieties 

 that are successful in the warmer parts of India will not succeed in 

 Northern Canada, because either the variety chosen has not the constitu- 

 tional power to thrive under conditions differing widely from those of its 

 native habitat, or it is...owing to its cellular structure, constitutionallv un- 

 able to withstand the attacks of diseases ; or. since the environment is un- 

 suited to the proper development of the variety, it is. nerhaps, unable to 

 form toxins that check disease. 



That the quality and prolificacy of a wheat vary with the soil and 

 climate makes the work of the experimental station a necessity. There, 

 the breeding and selecting of varieties to suit the varying conditions to be 

 met with, takes place. It is not enough to produce onh high-qualitv 

 wheats. That can readily be done ; but to implant in such wheats the 

 qualit\ of prolificacv rcjuires patient research, often extending over long 

 periods. 



Unless a wheat pays to groiw, it is of iio use to the farmer, however 

 high in quality it may be. Oncie the prolific, high-qualitv wheat is in 

 his hands, it is his business to so arrange the soil conditions that the croj) 

 may develop and produce a maximum return. Here he sometimes fails. 

 and blames the variety selected 



Soil Conditions. — The soil conditions necessary to insure success are 

 included in the following : — 



A sufficiency of i)lant food in ih.- soil proijorfionati:- to the maximum 

 quantity of the soil-moisture that can be stored or given to it 

 by rainfall during the growing period ; 



Proper drainage conflitions so that excess of moisture mav pa.ss off ; 



A proper plnsical condition of the soil in order to insure a firm 

 seed I)ed and to allow of root -development, and. in dry dis- 

 tricts, to increase the moisture ca[>acitv of the soil ; 



