222 THE SMALL GRAINS 



the most important are Preston, Stanley, Percy, Dawn, 

 Huron, Alpha, Bishop, Progress, Early Riga, and Count- 

 ess. Preston is now widely grown. Both Preston and 

 Stanley are selections from the progeny of a hybrid of 

 Fife and Ladoga. Huron is awned, and is prolific and 

 early. Percy is also earlier than Fife. Early Riga is a 

 hybrid of a Russian variety Onega and Gehun, from an 

 altitude of 11,000 feet in British India. It is very early, 

 ripening 8 to 9 days earlier than Fife. Bishop is a 

 product of Ladoga crossed with Gehun; kernels yel- 

 lowish, spikes awnless, yellowish chaff, ripening early, 

 yield fair. Pioneer wheat is a selection from the progeny 

 of a cross between Riga and Preston made by C. E. 

 Saunders in 1903. It is awned, has red, hard kernels, 

 and is very early. 



235. Marquis wheat. The Canadian hybrid wheat 

 which has made by far the greatest reputation is Mar- 

 quis, though Preston has met with much favor. Marquis 

 wheat is one of the descendants of a cross between Cal- 

 cutta Hard Red, an early ripening Indian wheat, and 

 Fife. The cross was apparently made by A. P. Saunders, 

 probably at the Agassiz (British Columbia) Experiment 

 Farm in 1892. In 1903, Dr. C. E. Saunders continued 

 the investigations with this wheat, and made a series 

 of selections from it. Its high bread-making strength 

 and color of flour were demonstrated in tests at Ottawa 

 in 1907, and all surplus seed was sent to the Indian Head 

 Experiment Farm for propagation. 



The progress of Marquis on trial in the western prairie 

 region was remarkable. In 1907 there was much rust, 

 and cool wet weather. Marquis, being very early, and 

 therefore rust-escaping, headed the list of varieties in 

 plats and fields alike. In a 5-years trial at Indian Head, 



