Wheat Breeding in Canada. 



29 



last season at Lesser Slave Lake in a latitude about 400 miles 

 farther north than Winnipeg. No doubt it will succeed very well 

 much farther north than this. 



These new varieties and new strains of the older sorts are now 

 being propagated for free distribution. Most of them were 

 available to a limited extent for that purpose last winter. At 

 present it appears that Marquis may take the lead as the best for 

 export purposes of all the early sorts yet introduced, unless the 

 selected form of Red Fife, mentioned later in this Paper, should 

 prove equally early. These two varieties are very much alike, 

 though of quite distinct origin. 



In addition to the six varieties of wheat mentioned by name, 

 which have all sprung from crosses made in the earlier years of 

 the existence of the experimental farms, we have now on hand 

 a large number of very promising varieties which have been 

 produced from crosses made by the writer in more recent years. 

 About 200 of these new sorts are now being propagated for 

 further test, and will probably soon be followed by several 

 hundred others, from the progeny of the most recent crosses 

 which at the present time are not quite fixed in type. Of 

 course, it is not intended to retain more than a few new varieties 

 adapted to the various conditions of soil and climate in Canada. 

 The task of eliminating the less desirable sorts will therefore be 

 rather lengthy and difficult, especially as the baking strength of 

 the flour must be considered in nearly all cases. 



When this work was commenced, the strength of the flour from 

 any wheat could not be determined until a large quantity of grain 

 was available, and even then we were dependent on the mere 

 opinion of some commercial baker, not usually a trained scientist, 

 as to the characteristics and value of the flour. Now, however, 

 with the introduction of the small experimental flour mill and 

 the development of a scientific method of determining baking 

 strength, this matter can be investigated much earlier in the 

 history of each variety ; the conclusions reached are far more 

 trustworthy than before. All new varieties intended for bread 

 making are tested in the baking laboratory before being dis- 

 tributed. In addition to the final baking tests I have used for 

 several years a simple chewing test (taking only a few kernels 

 of wheat) as a valuable guide to gluten strength and probable 

 baking strength in the earlier stages of selection. This test was 

 advocated as an essential aid in the selection of cross-bred varieties 

 of wheat in the Bulletin on Quality in Wheat, published at Ottawa, 

 October, 1907. 



Results of considerable practical importance have already 

 followed the introduction of these early maturing wheats, since 

 they can be depended upon to ripen in some districts where the 



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