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Agriculture Abroad. 



[June, 



gives an outline of the important part performed by the 

 Provincial Departments of Agriculture during the War period 

 and after. Three wheat growing Provinces are taken, which 

 will suffice to show the trend of the great efforts which wer© 

 carried on throughout the Dominion. 



New Brunswick. — In 1917 and 1918 larger quantities of seed 

 than ever before were imported, and correspondingly larger 

 crops were harvested. In 1917, the acreage sown to wheat was 

 about 15,000 acres; in 1918 it had trebled. The Provincial 

 Government gave financial assistance in the erection of roller 

 process mills, of which there are now 3-1 in the Province. 

 Although a humid climate is generally unfavourable to wheat 

 growing, large yields of excellent quality were recorded. Last 

 season, in Kent County, a yield of 225 bushels of the White 

 Fife variety was harvested from four acres — an average of 

 56 bushels per acre. 



Ontario. — One million acres is the usual area sown to wheat in 

 Ontario, which is well adapted for the production of high- 

 yielding varieties of w^hite winter wheat. In 1917 many car 

 loads of Marquis spring wheat were imported from New York 

 State for seed. Experiments in the testing and selection of 

 seeds are made at the Ontario Agricultural College, and the 

 results are published in bulletins, circulars and newspaper 

 articles. Dawson's Golden Chaff is the most extensively grown 

 variety of winter wheat in Ontario. Originating in the 

 Province thirty-nine years ago, it produces a very stiff straw 

 of medium length; it has beardless heads with red chaff and 

 white grain, and is a heavy yielder, but the grain is rather 

 soft. With the object of originating better varieties, crosses 

 have been made at the College between high-quality varieties. 

 One of these, Dawson's Golden Chaff, crossed with Bulgarian, 

 has furnished a new variety called O.A.C. No. 104, which has 

 given excellent results throughout Ontario. Several varieties 

 of winter wheat are distributed each year for co-operative 

 experiments. 



Manitoba. — Wheat improvement in this Province commenced 

 at the Manitoba Agricultural College in 1916; it is therefore 

 too soon to expect striking results. The objects are twofold: 

 (1) to obtain strains of wheat that will retain the high milling 

 qualities of Marquis and Eed Fife and will also yield well under 

 the varied conditions prevaihng in the Province; (2) to 

 propagate pure lines selections and so become a source of 

 elite stock seed. Introductions have been made from Denmark, 



