DiriSIOy OF CEREALS 



1065 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. 



W. H. FAIRFIELD, M.S.. SUPEEIITTENDENT. 



SEASONAL NOTES. 



The season of 1915 opened at about the usual time for the district, and from the 

 beginning was most favourable for all kinds of cereals. The soil was in prime con- 

 dition for seeding in the spring on account of the large amount of moisture carried 

 over from the fall before. Winter wheat, although not grown to such an extent as 

 formerly, came through the winter well and started a strong, vigorous growth which it 

 maintained as is evidenced by the yields reported in the tables following. Seeding 

 operations were not interrupted to any extent by storms during the month of April and 

 were concluded throughout this part of the province in good season. The rains during 

 May, June, and July, although not excessive, came just when needed. There was no 

 period during the whole growing season when grain suffered in any way at all for mois- 

 ture and the result was that most phenomenal yields were obtained with all the cereals. 

 The first frost in the fall was on September 11 and on the 12th a killing frost occurred, 

 but by this date all kinds of grain crops were well matured. 



NO reRIGATION USED. 



On account of the very favourable season none of the grain was irrigated, so, 

 although the varieties were sown on both irrigated and nonr-irrigated land, the report 

 will not be divided into two parts as has been the custom in the past. On the irrigated 

 land the grain was all lodged badly, which reduced the yields materially in nearly all 

 cases. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH WINTER WTIEAT. 



Ten varieties of winter wheat were sown on summer-fallowed land September 1, 

 1914. They came through the winter well and gave high yields. The area of each plot 

 was one-sixtieth of an acre. 



Winter Wheat (Non-irrigated). — Test of Varieties. 



16— 7li 



