XLII ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
in Manitoba, one in the Northwest Territories and one in British 
Columbia. 
In choosing these sites an effort was made to have them fairly repre- 
sentative in soil and climate of the larger settled areas in the provinces 
or territories in which they were placed. In the arrangement of the 
work such experiments as were most likely to be beneficial to the larger 
number of settlers were in each case among the first to engage the atten- 
tion of the officers in charge. 
Twenty years have passed since this work was begun and during that 
time agriculture in Canada has made unprecedented advancement. In- 
vestigations and experimental researches have been conducted in almost 
every line bearing on agriculture and horticulture and a multitude of 
important facts have been accumulated and given to farmers throughout 
the Dominion in reports and bulletins. The principles which underlie 
successful crop-growing have been frequently dealt with and demon- 
strated. The importance of maintaining the fertility of the land, adopt- 
ing a judicious rotation of crops, following the best methods of preparing 
the land, early sowing, choosing the best and most productive varieties 
and the selection of plump and well-matured seed, all these have been 
shown to be essential to success. 
Through the experimenal farms early ripening sorts of grain have 
been brought from many countries wherever they could be found. While 
none of those tried have been found equal in quality to the best sorts 
already cultivated here, the new importations have given early ripen- 
ing strains, which, by skilful crossing and selecting, have already pro- 
duced excellent results. Several of the newer varieties of wheat ripen 
from two to three weeks earlier than some of the well known sorts in 
cultivation, thus opening up a prospect of considerably extending the 
wheat area in the Canadian Northwest. Distinct gains have also been 
made by crossing and selection in other classes of cereals. Varieties of 
grasses, suited to the needs and conditions prevailing in the Northwest 
have been experimented with and distributed for test, whereby dairying 
and stock raising are now becoming easier to conduct and more re- 
munerative. New apples also have been produced by crossing very hardy 
forms of Siberian crab apples with varieties of apples grown in Eastern 
Canada. These cross-bred sorts have proved quite hardy at several hun- 
dred different points at varying altitudes, and are succeeding in those 
parts of the Northwest country where ordinary apples are too tender 
to be successfully grown. 
Other lines of original research, chemical, botanical and entomo- 
logical, have also been followed with great assiduity, while the other 
branches of agricultural and horticultural work have been carried on 
