CHAPTER III 



The Discovekt ajstd iNTEODtrcTioisr ot- Maequis 

 Wheat 



I. Introduction 



Makqtjis Wheat is a household word in western 

 Canada, for it is the chief variety of wheat grown in Al- 

 berta and Manitoba, while in Saskatchewan it forms about 

 V.90 per cent, of the crop. Moreover, its cultivation has 

 increased the wealth of western Canada by many millions 

 of dollars a year. It is therefore well worth while to in- 

 quire how Marquis wheat came into existence and to 

 whom the credit is due for supplying it to the farmers 

 in the first place. 



The history of Marquis wheat is by no means so well 

 known as it deserves to be, and various more or less 

 erroneous ideas are current concerning it. In the in- 

 terests of truth, therefore, as well as with a view to sup- 

 plying information which should be a source of satisfac- 

 tion to every patriotic Canadian, the writer here records 

 the results of his own inquiry into the matter. The facts 

 with regard to the origin of Marquis, about to be com- 

 municated, were obtained in part by the consultation of 

 documents but, in the main, by interviewing Dr. Charles 

 E. Saunders, who isolated Marquis more than a decade 

 ago and whose modesty is only equaled by his skill and 

 devotion as Dominion Cerealist. 



II. Dr. William Saunders and His Assistants 



Dr. William Saunders, the organizer and first Director 

 of the Dominion Experimental Farms, conceived the idea 



144 



