112 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



December, 1921. 



made are put into effect definite and de- 

 sirable results will be accomplished. 



Optional grading will come into effect 

 on May 1st next at stock yards and abbat- 

 toirs; select bacon hogs will be given a 

 premium of ten per cent ; a qualified in- 

 spector will study the requirements of the 

 British market; representatives of the 

 various agencies concerned — packers, pro- 

 ducers and the Dominion Government — 

 will form an advisory committee; and a 

 clearly defined classification of grades 

 will be adopted. 



Tlie grading of agricultural products 

 has been one of the most important factors 

 in the agricultural development of Canada, 

 during comparatively recent years. Still 

 further application of the principle of 

 grading is essential to future progress. At 

 the present time grading is used in connec- 

 tion with the marketing of Avheat, wool, 

 eggs, fruits, potatoes, cereals for seed pur- 

 poses, flax and flax seeds, fruits and po- 

 tatoes. Next May hogs will be added to the 

 list. The grading of dairy products may 

 be anticipated with some degTee of cer- 

 tainty. 



The introduction of grading regulations 

 must alwa3's be preceded by a very careful 

 stuch' of the constituency and the classes 

 which will be affected. That feature was 

 given particular emphasis by Dr. Grisdale 

 in a recent address at Ottawa, w^hen he 

 traced the agricultural development of 

 Canada through its various stages. The 

 drastic application of laws, without a sur- 

 vey of the constituencies which will be in- 

 fluenced by tliose laws, will always anto- 

 gonize certain groups. But if the co-opera- 

 tion of those groups is first sought, and the 

 results to be expected are placed clearly 

 before them in perspective, the danger of 

 antagonism is largely overcome. Co-opera- 

 tion witliin a single group is not sufficient. 

 The co-operation of all cliisses — produ- 

 cers, distributors and consumers — must 

 be obtained so far as possible. 



The development of markets is vital to 

 Canadian agricultural progress. This is 

 a day of competition between exporting 

 countries. Quality of pi'oduct will do more 

 to facilitate market extension and market 

 control than any other single factor. Grad- 

 ing will ensure quality. The logical con- 



clusion to be drawn, then, is that if Can- 

 ada is to hold her place in world markets, 

 if she is going to produce steady supply 

 and high quality, grading is not merely 

 desirable but absolutely necessary. The 

 same argument applies to every finished 

 agricultural product. 



NEW FRENCH EDITOR. 



Owing to pressure of other duties. Prof. 

 Letourneau has found it necessary to resign 

 as Editor of the French section of Scienti- 

 fic Agriculture. Professor Letourneau has 

 held this position since the magazine was 

 first established in January last and has 

 given splendid service. 



At a meeting of the French members 

 of the Canadian Society of Technical Agri- 

 culturists, held in Quebec last month, Mr. 

 Aime Gagnon of the Agricultural In- 

 stitute at Oka was appointed to this posi- 

 tion and assumes his duties with this issue. 



DISEASES OF THE POTATO. 



Prof. B. T. Dickson has found it impos- 

 sible to prepare his article on the above 

 subject for this issue. The series will 

 therefore be resumed in the January num- 

 ber. 



MILLIONS OF TREES FOR THE 

 PRAIRIES. 



The Dominion Government has always 

 been aware of the necessity' for encourag- 

 ing tree culture en the prairies, but it 

 was not until 1901 that a really definite 

 and practical scheme for assisting settlers 

 in this work was put into operation. It 

 was in that year that the first distribution 

 of trees was made under the co-operative 

 scheme of the Forestry Branch of the In- 

 terior Department. From a small begin- 

 ning the distribution of trees from the 

 nurseries at Indian Head and Sutherland 

 has grown until it ncnv averages about five 

 million seedlings and cuttings each season, 

 half of which are planted in Saskatchewan, 

 and the balance in Alberta and Manitoba. 

 As a conse(pience of this distribution, we 

 now find in all parts of these provinces 

 examples of excellent farm shelter-belts. — 

 Norman M. Rc^ss, Dominion Forest Nur- 

 sery Station, Indian Head, Sask. 



