216 ‘TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. XI 
and bring success. We believe that successful farming and maximum 
production can only be achieved by the application of the teachings of 
science and practical experience and it was these teachings we wished to 
bring home to the farmer in the most forceful way possible. 
And, secondly, I wish to say that while we urged that every available 
acre of suitably prepared land be put under crop, we urged still more 
strongly that the effort be made to obtain a larger yield from the acreage 
at present under cultivation. There is unfortunately too much room for 
improvement in this latter regard. Our crop yields in general are much 
below what is possible and we believed there would be a better result and 
more profit to the farmer in bringing up his yields than in extending his 
area under cultivation, although there are places where both may be 
possible and desirable. To this end we emphasized, primarily, the need 
of greater attention to methods of increasing soil fertility—drainage, more 
thorough tillage, more liberal manuring, the growing of leguminous 
crops, the use of fertilizers. Other matters were the fall preparation of 
the land, the importance of seed selection, the cultivation of the hoed 
crops to produce an earth mulch and thus conserve soil moisture for the 
use of the growing crop—and turning to live stock, their breeding, 
feeding and care. These then constituted the chief themes of our 
addresses and writings. To-night we can only rapidly survey those 
which have to do with the soil, and I have chosen them because of their 
fundamental character. But many of the other subjects are almost 
of equal importance. 
Sor CULTIVATIONS. 
DRAINAGE.—Speaking generally, drainage is fundamental to the 
greatest measure of success. There are light and sandy loams under- 
laid by sand or gravel which need no sub or artificial drainage, but for 
clay loams it is essential for the best results, not merely to take away 
water in the spring, and allow early seeding, but to make the soil more 
moist throughout the season. No amount of surface tillage, no amount 
of manure or fertilizer can ensure maximum crop production on a poorly 
drained soil. Surface evaporation is slow in the early months of the 
season. ‘Tile drainage is needed therefore that the heavier soils may be 
worked to advantage before the seeding time passes. Poorly drained 
soils are water-logged soils, and this means a condition absolutely in- 
jurious to growing crops, for the root system needs air. Crops can die 
of suffocation, even after they have got a fair growth. Poorly drained 
soils are cold and wet. 
There are thousands and thousands of acres in the Dominion that 
need tile drainage before they can be made to do their best. It is 
