settlers were in each case among the lirst to engage the attention of the officers 
in charge. 
Eighteen years have passed since tins work was begun, and during that time 
agriculture in Canada lias made unprecedented advancement It is not claimed 
I hat this progress has been wholly due to the influence and work of the Domin- 
ion Experimental Farms; much credit is justly due to the various measures 
carried on by other useful organizations established mainly by the several 
provinces. 
Foremost among these is the Ontario College of Agriculture at Guelph. This 
is a well-equipped institution which has done noble work. Farmers* institutes, 
live-stock associations, fruit growers' associations, and agricultural and horti- 
cultural societies have all proved helpers in this good cause. The commissioner's 
branch of the Dominion department of agriculture has also been an important 
factor. This branch deals with the cooperative dairy interests, the development 
of cold-storage facilities by which certain food products can be carried in good 
condition to the markets in Great Britain, the inspection of fruits, seeds, etc. 
There is, however, no doubt that the experimental farms established by the 
Federal Government have contributed in large measure to the general upbuild- 
ing of agriculture in Canada. The progress referred to has resulted in a general 
improvement in the condition of the agricultural population all over the country 
and in a vast increase in the exports of agricultural products. 
There is probably no employment which engages man's attention that requires 
more skill and more general information than farming. Competition is keen 
throughout the civilized world, and the farmer must turn to practical account 
q\ ery advantage within his reach bearing on improvement in the quality of his 
products and in lessening the cost of their production, if he is to maintain and 
improve his position. 
Investigations and experimental research have been conducted on almost 
every line bearing on agriculture, and a great mass of important facts has been 
accumulated and given to the farming community in reports and bulletins. 
When the experimental farms were planned it was intended that they should 
become bureaus of information to which farmers could apply from time to time 
to aid them in the solution of difficulties which frequently present themselves 
during the progress of farm work. Evidence of their usefulness in this way is 
furnished in the rapid increase of correspondence carried on with farmers in all 
parts of the Dominion. In 1889, the year after the farms had become fairly 
organized, the number of letters received was about 8.000. During the past six 
years the average number annually received at all the experimental farms was 
00,222. In addition, over 220,000 reports and bulletins have been sent each 
year. There is thus a constant flow of information going to Canadian farmers 
from all the experimental farms. 
It is as a rule a difficult matter to bring about rapid changes in the ideas and 
practice of farmers, but as soon as they are convinced that experimental work 
is carried on in a practical manner by persons competent to give information, 
that it is undertaken in their interest and with the special object of making 
farming more profitable, their sympathy and cooperation are assured. 
Experimental agriculture covers so large a field that I can but briefly refer 
on this occasion to a few important points in connection with the work which 
has been done for the upbuilding of agriculture in Canada, such as will indicate 
the general trend of the work. 
The principles which underlie successful crop growing may be thus sum- 
marized : Maintaining the fertility of the land, adopting a judicious rotation of 
crops, following the best methods of preparing the land, early sowing, choosing 
the best and most productive varieties, and the selection of plump and well- 
ripeued seed. Along all these lines many experiments have been conducted. 
Continued efforts have been made to gain knowledge as to the best methods of 
.maintaining and adding to the fertility of the land. In this connection special 
attention has been given to investigations to determine the best methods of 
handling and using barnyard manure — the universal fertilizer, which is more or 
less available everywhere to the farmer. 
Experiments continued for eleven successive years have shown that a given 
weight of manure taken fresh from the barnyard is equal in crop-producing 
power to the same weight of rotted manure. It has also been shown by repeated 
tests that fresh manure loses during the process of rotting from 50 to CO per 
cent of its weight. The effective use of barnyard manure so as to obtain the 
best results with the least waste is without doubt one of the most important 
problems connected with successful agriculture, for on this material the farmer's 
