3^ 



Agricultural Education in Canada, [april, 



nection with this experimental work has been of great value. 

 A zealous and enthusiastic staff is engaged continually in com- 

 paring the results from the growing of different varieties of 

 grain, and then in crossing the best varieties with each other, 

 with the object of producing a heavier ear of grain and a larger 

 yield per acre. There are 2,aoo experimental plots on the farm 

 under this department, and about 4.000 farmers in different parts 

 of the Province are carrying on co-operative experiments in 

 testing seeds, fertilizers, and methods of cultivation, as members 

 of the Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union, which has 

 its headquarters at the Ontario Agricultural College. Seeds and 

 fertilizers for the experiments are supplied free to any farmer 

 that applies> and all he is required to do in return is to agree to 

 conduct the experiment according to the directions, and to fill 

 up a schedule stating the date of sowing, date of reaping, the 

 amount of yield per acre, and other relative data. I was in- 

 formed that one variety of barley which had been introduced by 

 the college and distributed through the members of the Experi- 

 mental Union had enabled farmers to obtain an increase of 4^ 

 bushels on the average of the ordinar}- crop. As there are over 

 500,000 acres under this particular kind of barley in the Pro- 

 vince of Ontario alone, an increase of 4^ bushels per acre 

 means that this new variety introduced by the Ontario Agricul- 

 tural College has added to the agricultural output of the Pro- 

 vince over 2,000.000 bushels, which at 50 cents a bushel equals 

 a million dollars a year. The college has now selected an im- 

 proved strain of this variety and has crossed it with that of 

 another variety. The experimentalist, Mr. C. A. Zavitz, informed 

 me that he expected an even greater benefit to the crops of the 

 Province from the result of this cross tha 1 was obtained from 

 the introduction of the variety to which I have referred. \\'ork 

 of a similar character is also carried on at the Dominion Experi- 

 mental Farms under Dr. William Saunders, C.IM.G., Director. 



In its early da}-s the experimental work of the Agricultural 

 College was derided by many of the farmers and by the public 

 generally ; now the sentiment of the Province is w^ell on its side, 

 and the agriculturists are becoming more and more proud of 

 their college every }-ear. 



TJie Macdojiald Instituti, — Attached to the Agricultural Col- 



