74 
productiveness, quality, and earliness of maturing. That there arc varieties 
more productive and earlier in ripening than others has been abundantly 
proven. 
During a live years' test of 41 varieties of oats, all of them sown each year 
OH the same (lay and on adjoining plats, the results have shown the relative 
productiveness of certain sorts. Each year a list has been published of the 
heaviest-yielding 12 in the series, and during the whole period of live years 
only 15 of the 41 varieties have found their way into this select list, and 1) 
of these have appeared 'anionic the best 12 every year. 
Similar evidence has been furnished with spring wheat. :;i varieties of which 
have been under trial for a like period. In this instance 16 of the *'>1 sorts 
have appeared among the best-yielding 12 during the live years" trial and ;> of 
these varieties have appeared each year in that list. The evidence as to per- 
sistent productiveness in certain varieties of barley is still more striking. 
In the oat plats the difference in crop is large, ranging from 80 bushels to 
42 bushels. Spring wheat has ranged from 31 to lb bushels, barley from 58 
to .".."» bushels, and peas from 46 to 20 bushels. 
The importance of growing those varieties which will give the largest crops is 
manifest when we consider the very large areas under cultivation. Taking the 
acreage in Canada alone devoted to the oar crop, which is very small compared 
with the United States, an increase there of a single bushel per acre to the 
average crop adds to the profits or Canadian farmers over a million of dollars. 
Rut it may be asked. How can farmers procure these prolific strains of seed? 
The following is the method pursued in Canada : After careful and continued 
experiment has shown that any variety is specially productive and promising, 
this is cultivated on a larger scale so as to admit of the free iistribution of 
samples among the farmers of the Dominion. This grain is grown chiefly at 
the branch experimental farms in the west and distributed from the central 
farm at Ottawa, where the samples can be sent free through the mail. They 
are sent out in strong cotton bags, the quantity of oats forwarded to each appli- 
cant being 4 pounds, and of wheat and barley 5 pounds, sufficient in each case 
to sow one-twentieth of an acre. These samples are sent only on personal 
application, and only one variety can be had by an applicant each year. 
Under this restriction the number of samples sent out during the past eight 
years has averaged 36,684, requiring about 70 tons of seed annually. Last year 
this distribution reached over 40.000 farmers, and the interest felt in it is 
steadily increasing. 
Not only is the grain sent out of high quality, but it is also thoroughly clean. 
If a farmer takes reasonable care of the sample he receives, he can soon have 
sufficient seed to sow a large area for himself and have a surplus to sell to his 
neighbors. This may perhaps be best illustrated by two or three extracts from 
correspondents regarding oats, representing a large number of such letters 
received. Similar testimony in regard to samples of wheat and barley could be 
given. 
A farmer from Dauphin, Manitoba, writes : " The sample bag of 4 pounds 
of oats sent me two years ago gave me the first year 5 bushels. This year we 
sowed these on 2 acres, and we got 217 bushels.*' 
A correspondent from Laurel, Ontario. >ays : " We got a sample of oats from 
you six years ago, and they gave us great satisfaction. The people about here 
think very highly of them, and there are thousands of bushels of them grown. 
The farmers aie coming here for seed for 20 miles around.*' 
Another farmer from Carleton Place. Ontario, says : " The oats I got from 
the experimental farm some years ago have been worth a great deal of money 
to me, in increased yield and increased price, as I have sold quite a quantity 
for seed." 
Another farmer from Piedmont. Nova Scotia, writes : " The oats, of which a 
sample was received three years ago. proved an excellent variety. I had 420 
bushels last year. They yielded 74 bushels to the acre.'" 
It is thus apparent that with attention and care any farmer may soon provide 
himself under this liberal arrangement with the best and most productive 
strains of seed in suificient quantities for a large area at no cost to himself 
beyond that of his own labor. 
The recent increase observed in the yearly average of cereal crops in Canada, 
which is very considerable, is no doubt due in large measure to the more 
general cultivation of highly productive varieties brought about by these annual 
distributions. 
