PROCEEDINGS FOR 1915 IX 



Pharmacy. He was also a professor in the medical faculty of the 

 Western University. His scientific interests were of a very wide 

 character for he soon became one of the leading authorities on en- 

 tomology. Not only did he assist in the organization of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of Ontario in 1863, but for thirteen years he was Editor 

 of The Canadian Entomologist. His work on ''Insects Injurious to 

 Fruits,'^ published in 1882, was the first and most important treatise 

 of its kind and is now one of the classics on the subject. 



The purchase of a small farm in 1868 enabled him to start his 

 skilful work in the production of new fruits and flowers, etc., which 

 efïorts constituted the foundation of his future career. He produced 

 by hybridization valuable varieties of gooseberries, currants and grapes; 

 he added new varieties of roses and barberries to the stock of orna- 

 mental plants. This work, interesting and important in itself, served 

 as peliminary training for a larger sphere of usefulenss. 



His true life work began in 1886, when at the age of 50 years 

 he was selected to organize the Experimental Farms system of Canada. 

 Two years earlier, when the universal agricultural depression was af- 

 fecting Canada, which had at that time a population of a little over 

 four millions, a Select Committee of the Dominion Parliament recom- 

 mended the establishment of central and local experimental farms 

 for the conducting of experiments in all branches of agriculture and 

 horticulture as the best means of developing and encouraging the 

 agricultural interests of the Dominion. Dr. Saunders was com- 

 missioned in 1885 to visit and report upon the agricultural experiment 

 stations of the United States and to secure information regarding 

 similar stations in Europe. Following the completion of this work 

 in 1886 the Experimental Farm Stations Act was passed, authorizing 

 the establishment of a central farm at Ottawa for Ontario and Quebec 

 and branch farms in the Maritime Provinces, Manitoba, the North 

 West Territories and British Columbia, and Dr. Saunders was 

 appointed Director of the system. 



The results of his work and organization may be seen in the 

 twenty-five voluminous annual reports. From the five original farms 

 the present important Experimental Farms Branch of the Department 

 of Agriculture has developed, which now embraces no less than ten 

 separate divisions of scientific and practical investigation, eighteen 

 branch farms or stations and seven sub-stations. In addition to the 

 work of building up this powerful organization, in which science and 

 practice are conjoined, he found time to carry on original work of the 

 greatest importance and value to the country to which work space 

 forbids more than a brief reference. By crossing the wild Siberian 

 crab apple {Pyrus haccata) with hardy Russian and American apples 



