ON AGRICULTURE TO CANADA 9^^ 



to keep in touch with the farmer so that the staff might have an 

 opportunity not only of rendering immediate and direct assistance, 

 but also of learning at first hand, those problems that are con- 

 fronting the agriculturist in different parts of the Dominion, and 

 which require what. might be termed scientific aid for their solution. 



The work may therefore be said to fall under two sub-divisions : 

 education and investigation, though between these there is no sharp 

 Une of demarcation. 



The former is carried on by correspondence, letters being received 

 daily in which questions are asked relating to soils and their treat- 

 ment, manures and fertilizers, their composition and use ; cattle 

 foods ; insecticides, dairy products, etc. This branch of the work 

 has frequently to be prosecuted at the expense of investigation and 

 research, but it is pursued in the belief that the education of the 

 individual is often the preparatory step towards the education of 

 the community. Another educational method made use of is the 

 delivery of lectures and addresses. By this means information is 

 disseminated and contact established between the staff and many 

 of the best farmers, dairymen, and fruit-growers in the Dominion. 

 A concise account of each year's work is pubished in the annual 

 report which is widely distributed ; and special investigations are 

 written up in bulletin form as researches are completed or brought 

 to a stage that the results obtained are of value to the agriculturist. 



The division is made as practically useful as possible by ex- 

 amining and reporting upon all samples of an agricultural nature 

 forwarded by farmers. These are received from all parts of Canada, 

 and include soils, naturally occurring fertilizers, forage plants and 

 cattle foods, well waters, dairy products, and insecticides. As far 

 as time permits and occasion demands, these are examined chemically 

 and microscopically. The greater number of these can only receive 

 a partial analysis, but in every case an endeavour is made to make 

 such determinations as will furnish useful information to the sender. 

 Between five hundred and seven hundred of such samples are re- 

 ceived yearly, and an account of those which afford information of 

 general interest is given in the annual report. 



In the investigation and research work that has been under- 

 taken the aim has been to carry out by the aid of chemistry such 

 investigations as may serve to solve the problems in Canadian 

 agriculture which more or less afEect the country in general. Only 

 a few illustrations can be given here. They have included 

 analysis of Canadian soils coupled with experiments in the im- 

 provement of unproductive soil, analysis and experiments by 

 crop growing, to test the value of legumes for the improvement 

 of soil. For the details of this valuable research, the reader may be 

 referred to a bulletin issued in 1902 entitled " Clover as a fertilizer." 

 The evidence shows that from 75 to 150 lbs. of nitrogen per acre 

 can be added to a soil by means of green manuring. The field tests 

 have confirmed in the most emphatic manner the results obtained 

 in the Laboratory and have proved beyond dispute the great 

 benefit to be derived from legumes as enrichers of Canadian soil. 

 Inoculation for the growth of leguminous crops has also been a 



