1 6 



would be most likely to be beneficial to the greatest number in each 

 case were among the first to engage the attention of the officers in 

 charge, 



A strong factor in the success of Dr. Saunders' work has been 

 his judgment in the selection of officers. During his almost entire 

 career as Director, he had associated with him at the Central 

 Farm, the late Dr. James Fletcher, as Botanist and Entomologist; 

 Prof. Frank T. Shutt, as Chemist, Mr. A. G. Gilbert as Poultry 

 Manager; Mr. Angus McKay at Indian Head, Mr. Thos. A. Sharpe 

 at Agassiz, B. C., and until seven years ago Mr. S. A. Bedford as 

 Superintendant at Brandon. By their earnest work on the respective 

 Farms in solving, by the guidance of the Director, many of the 

 problems of agriculture, and by proclaiming from lecture platforms 

 throughout the country the lessons learned in their work, they have 

 elevated the industry in a degree that would be difficult to estimate. 



The Experimental Farms are bureaus of information to which 

 farmers in all parts of the Dominion apply for advice and direction 

 in times of difficulty, when confronted with problems which they 

 are unable to solve. In 1889, the year after the Farms had become 

 fairly established, the total number of letters received was about 

 8,000; for the year ending March 31, 1912, the number received was 

 about 124,000. In 1889, comparatively few reports and bulletins 

 were issued, whereas in the year ending March 31, 1912, no less 

 than 200,000 were sent out. There is thus a constant flow of informa- 

 tion going out to Canadian farmers, much of it in response to direct 

 personal application. 



During his entire public service, Dr. Saunders never relaxed his 

 efforts. Himself a master of detail and an indomitable worker, he, 

 as far as it was reasonably possible, kept his own hand upon the 

 various undertakings of the several Farms. For many years, he 

 planned most of the experiments and other work and saw that each 

 was carried out according to the general principles of the established 

 system. No new w^ork was undertaken by the officers without his 

 full approval, and no innovations were introduced without the per- 

 mission of the presiding Minister. Much of the general agricultural 

 work done at the Central Farm has been repeated more or less com- 

 pletely at all the Branch Farms and in this way a great deal of 

 information has been gained as to the relative suitability of the more 

 important farm crops to the different climatic and other conditions 

 of the country. Valuable information has been acquired as to the 

 adaptability of certain varieties for particular localities, the deter- 

 mining of which has taken many years of painstaking effort. 



