490 EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN CANADA. 
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for the first year of 28 per cent. by weight of grain and 78 per 
cent. of straw; while the following barley crop, without any 
additional fertiliser, showed an increase of 29 per cent. of 
grain and 35 percent. of straw on the plots which had been 
treated with clover. Ina similar course of experiments with 
potatoes an average increase of 28 per cent. in the weight of 
tubers was secured. 
Trials carried out at the farms have shown the value of early 
sowing. Wheat, oats, barley and peas were sown at the very 
earliest time practicable on plcets of land, very uniform in 
character, which had received the same preparation ; and six 
successive sowings were made at intervals of a week during 
the ensuing six weeks. The plots were all harvested and 
threshed separately. The best crops were obtained from the 
second sowings, z.c., those which were made just one week 
after it was possible to sow the seed ; delay in sowing beyond 
this resulted in loss, which became more serious according as 
the delay was greater. ; 
During a five years’ test of forty-one varieties of oats, all of 
them sown each year on the same day and on similar soil, the 
results have demonstrated the relative productivity of certain 
sorts. Eachyearalisthas been published of the best twelve in 
the series and in the whole five years only fifteen varieties have — 
found their way into this select list, and nine of these have 
appeared among the best twelve every year. Similar results 
were obtained with wheat and barley. It may be noticed 
that in these experiments the yield of spring wheat under 
uniform conditions has ranged from 16 to 31 bushels per 
acre, oats from 42 to 89 bushels, barley from 33 to 58 bushels, 
and peas from 20 to 46 bushels. 
After careful experiments have shown that any variety is 
specially promising such variety is cultivated on a larger 
scale, so as to admit of its free distribution among farmers of 
the Dominion upon personal application. The samples thus 
distributed weigh from 3 to 10 lbs., and only one variety 
can be obtained by an applicant each year. With this 
restriction the quantity sent out annually from the Central 
Farm averaged over sixty tons, while the applications have 
each season averaged more than 30,000. ‘The farmers 
