DISCOVERY OF MARQUIS WHEAT 1T5 



lar tests at Brandon, Manitoba, for the series of ten 

 years 1908-17 inclusive, Marquis had an advantage over 

 Eed Fife of upwards of 20 per cent, and, just as at In- 

 dian Head, was six days earlier in ripening.^'^ These 

 facts may be set out in tabular form as follows : 



Indian Head: 1907-17 inclusive 

 Days from Seeding to Ripening Yield in lbs. per acre 



Marquis 122 3,084 



Eed Fife 128 2,210 



Brandon: 1908-17 inclusive 



Marquis 107 2,594 



Eed Fife 113 2,148 



The earliness of Marquis, as compared with Red Fife, 

 Bluestem, etc., brings with it a number of solid advan- 

 tages ; and these we shall now proceed to discuss. 



XL Earliness and the Gain of Working-Time 



Owing to the fact that Marquis ripens its grains a full 

 six days sooner than Eed Fife, the farmer who grows 

 the former variety of wheat is given almost an extra 

 week between harvest and freeze-up for the preparation 

 of his land for the next year. In the Prairie Provinces, 



and the number of bushels is calculated from the weight in lbs. by 

 dividing by GO. At an elevator, after the number of bushels of 

 wheat in a delivery has been estimated in this way, the weight of 

 the wheat contained in a bushel measure is found by testing a 

 sample. If the weight should be less than 60 lbs., the grading is 

 affected adversely. No. 1 Manitoba Hard and No. 1 Northern must 

 weigh at least 60 lbs., and No. 2 Northern at least 58 lbs. Poor 

 wheat may weigh as low as 55 lbs. to the measured bushel while 

 good wheat often weighs 64 lbs. 



37 Yide Reports of Superintendents of Experimental Farms at 

 Indian Head and Brandon, 1908 and following years. The data in the 

 Tables were kindly compiled for the writer by the Dominion Cereal- 

 ist. 



