ITS ESSAYS ON WHEAT 



Whereas, therefore, the younger wheat-plant forms a 

 highly suitable medium for the parasite, enabling it to 

 flourish for a long time, the older one forms a relatively 

 poor medium within which the growth of the parasite soon 

 comes to an end. It follows from this, and from the fact 

 that a Rust epidemic, when it comes at all, usually comes 

 late in the growing season, that the earlier wheat is planted, 

 the less likely is it to suffer severely from Black Stem 

 Rust. But the hastening of the maturing process may be 

 obtained by growing early-maturing varieties such as Mar- 

 quis. In 1916, where Marquis and Red Fife were sown 

 at the same time, Marquis withstood the attack of the 

 Rust disease far better than Red Fife owing to its six- 

 day earlier ripening habit. This was noted, for example, 

 in the plot tests at the University of Saskatchewan at 

 Saskatoon by Professor John Bracken who, in his Lessons 

 from the Rust Epidemic of 1916, recommends the planting 

 of early-maturing varieties of wheat as one means of com- 

 bating the Rust disease.^^ 



Marquis, while to a certain extent rust-escaping owing 

 to its earliness, is not rust-resistant. If it could be made 

 rust-resistant by replacing its rust-susceptible character by 

 a rust- resistant one (much in the same way as one may 

 remove a single bad brick from a building and replace it by 

 a sound one), it would be considerably improved. Possi- 

 bly, some day, our farmers may be provided with a wheat 

 as good as Marquis which resists most of the fungus dis- 

 eases which now diminish the yield, such as Rust, Smut, 

 Wheat Scab, and Root-rots. In any case, a serious at- 

 tempt must be made to breed such an ideal plant, however 

 long and difficult may be the task. Already in England, 



39 J. Bracken, Lessons from the Rust Epidemic of 1916, Bull. 

 No. 50, Dept. of Agriculture for Saskatchewan, Regina, 1917, pp. 

 11, 15. 



