EXPEEIMENTS WITH MARQUIS WHEAT. 3 



Marquis. Its high bread-making strength and color of flour were demonstrated in 

 the tests made at Ottawa in the early months of 1907, and all the surplus seed was at 

 once sent to the Indian Head Experimental Farm for propagation. 



It will be clearly seen from the above account that the question, "'WTien was Mar- 

 quis wheat originated?" can never be answered. It came into existence probably 

 at Ottawa between the years 1895 and 1902. It remained, however, mixed with other 

 related sorts until discovered by the writer in 1903. It was first grown in a pure 

 state in 1904, when a few seeds were sown in a sheltered garden on the Central Ex- 

 perimental Farm. Even then, however, its fine qualities were only partly known, 

 and it was not until the cerealist's baking tests of 1907 were completed that he de- 

 cided to send out this wheat for trial in Saskatchewan. Its success in the prairie 

 country was phenomenal. 



EXPERIMENTS IN WESTERN CANADA. 



Marquis wheat was first sent to ttie Prairie Provinces of Canada 

 in the spring of 1907. The report states that it immediately won a 

 phenomenal success. This success was not due to any lack of able 

 competitors. 



For nearly two decades previous to 1907 the Red Fife had been 

 the most popular and highest yielding wheat grown in the Prairie 

 Provinces of Canada. It had been grown in a varietal test at the 

 Indian Head Experimental Farm in Saskatchewan continuously since 

 1888. Within this 18-year period, 98 other varieties were compared 

 with the Red Fife. Only two of these, the White Fife and Red 

 Fern, were grown throughout the entire 18 years. The average 

 acre yield of the Red Fife during this period was 37.6 bushels. It 

 outyielded both other varieties, though the average acre yield of the 

 White Fife was 36.4 bushels. 



At the Brandon Experimental Farm in Manitoba, the Red Fife 

 was grown continuously for 17 years, 1890 to 1906, inclusive. Dur- 

 ing all or varying parts of this period, 85 other varieties and strains 

 were compared with it. Only five others were grown throughout 

 the 17 years. The Red Fife, with a 17-year average acre yield of 

 33.7 bushels, outyielded aU the others except one. This one was the 

 White Fife, with an average acre yield of 34.2 bushels. 



These data show the Red Fife and White Fife to be good varieties 

 and that any variety outyielding them must possess real merit. 



Marquis wheat was latroduced into experiments at Indian Head, 

 Saskatchewan, ia 1907; at Brandon, Manitoba, and Lethbridge, 

 Alberta, ia 1908; and at Rosthem, Saskatchewan, ia 1911. Table I 

 shows the yield of the Marquis and Red Fife varieties at these stations 

 from the year of introduction to 1914 and the average yield of each 

 hi the period during which they were grown. These data have been 

 taken from the pubhshed annual reports of the Canadian experi- 

 mental farms. 



