142 WHEAT 



WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES 



The winter wheat districts of Canada are quite 

 distinct and limited in area. There are two prin- 

 cipal areas: southern Ontario and southern 

 Alberta. The climate of southern Ontario is 

 quite humid and not favorable to producing a 

 good quality of hard wheat. Soft or semi-hard 

 wheats succeed best, such as Dawson's Golden 

 Chaff, Gold Coin, Early Red Clawson, Red 

 Velvet Chaff and Red Chief; but the Turkey and 

 Kharkof varieties are also grown and produce 

 a better quality of grain but give less yield as a 

 rule than the other sorts. The climate of south- 

 ern Alberta is quite dry and the winters are long, 

 but the severe cold which prevails farther east in 

 Manitoba and Saskatchewan is moderated in 

 Alberta by the warm winds ("Chinook" winds) 

 which blow over the mountains from the south- 

 west. 



The area which is most affected and which is 

 best adapted for growing winter wheat lies along 

 the base of the mountains and extends from the 

 Montana line north to Calgary, a distance of 200 

 miles, and varies in width from 100 to 200 miles. 

 In this favored area large yields of an excellent 

 quality of hard red winter wheat are produced. 

 This wheat has been given a market grade and 

 is called "Alberta Red." 



The original "Alberta Red" was simply Turkey 

 wheat, the seed of which was imported from south- 

 ern Nebraska in 1901. This stock was impure 

 and mixed as the writer discovered during his 

 visit to Alberta in 1907, where he was sent by the 



