240 ESSAYS ON WHEAT 



Dr. Saunders is now studying a large number of hul- 

 less and hooded (beardless) types of barley, most of which 

 have been cross-bred. He is endeavoring to produce a 

 firsit-class barley with the hull attached but free from awns. 

 Hulless barley is already being raised to a certain extent 

 in Alberta for the feeding of pigs, but Dr. Saunders ex- 

 pects that some of his new sorts will prove superior to the 

 varieties now in cultivation. If hulless barley were 

 raised in sufficient quantity, it would obviously be of con- 

 siderable value for human food, for it would not require 

 so lengthy a preparation as the hulled varieties at present 

 employed for this purpose. Another interesting barley 

 which Dr. Saunders is now introducinc; is called Albert. 

 It is of cross-bred origin and extremely early in ripening. 

 It will not be of general utility where a very high yield 

 is a first consideration but may become valuable where 

 the growing season is a short one. 



Dr. Saunders has originated a new hulless oat which 

 he has called the Liberty Oat. It threshes out free from 

 the hard and tough glumes which enclose the grains of 

 every common kind of oat, and will therefore probably 

 be much appreciated for feeding chickens and young pigs. 

 It also makes oatmeal of very fine quality, and Dr. Saun- 

 dei"s believes that it has a richer flavor than any of the 

 commercial oatmeal products which he has tasted. 



The Arthur pea and the Mackay pea were produced 

 many years ago under the direction of Dr. Saunders' fa- 

 ther. The Arthur is now making good headway among 

 growers. It is one of the earliest field peas and is, there- 

 fore, advantageous for many districts in Canada where 

 earliness is a desideratum. The Mackay was named by 

 Dr. Saunders' father after Mr. Angus Mackay who for 



more than fifteen times the entire cost of the College? " Vide C. A. 

 Zavitz, The Results of Field Experiments with Farm Crops, Ontario 

 Agricultural College, Bulletin No. 140, 1905, p. 7. 



