DlTlSIOIf OF CEREALS 



1091 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION FOR VANCOUVER ISLAND, 



SIDNEY, B.C. 



LIONEL STEVENSON, B.S.A., M.S., SUPEEINTENDENT. 

 CHARACTEK OF THE SEASOX. 



The remarkably open winter, with its light rainfall and relatively high mean 

 temperatures, permitted the gro^rth of all autumn-sown cereals adapted for the con- 

 ditions. As a result, Arlington Awnless barley was 30 inches high and headed out on 

 March 26. Volunteer plants of Marquis wheat, Victory, and Banner oats, Tapp and 

 Mensury barley were from 12 to 20 inches high, April 1. 



The rainfall, temperatures and sunshine for the growing season were as follows: — 



Month. 



October . . . 

 November 

 December. 

 January... . 

 February . . 



March 



April 



May 



June 



Sunshine. 



Hours. Minutes. 



94 



46 



72 



70 



65 



142 



223 



181 



304 



48 

 3 



56 

 4 

 9 

 7 

 4 

 2 

 



Tlie soil of the cereal t-est plot area is a light loam on a clay-gravel hard-pan. The 

 land has been but recently cleared and had been cultivated only one year. Four vari- 

 eties each of autumn-sown wheat and rye were under test; two varieties of winter 

 barley, and one variety of winter oats were also tested. The wheat, oat, and barley plots 

 suffered much from lack of drainage, and consequently did not produce heavily. 



Four varieties of spring-sown barley, three varieties of oats, two varieties of peas, 

 and one variety of flax and three varieties of, spring wheat v/ere also tested. These all 

 gave fairly uniform results considering that the soil had been but recently brought 

 under cultivation. 



