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New York U609 USA (716) 462 - 0300 - Phone (716) 288-5989 - Fq< DOMIHION DEPABTMEWT OF AOHICUITUBE OTTAWA, CANADA /TOBACCO 1)1 VISION QLJKHFX EXPERTMEXTAL T()FiA(XX) STATION'S SKA SOX 1!UI <>. CHHVAI.IEJt T(,bn(H-o l^ulkiiu Xo. A-l.'{ rubl...,o. .,. u.realon .f „on, MARTIX nUHUEM. Minister of A.riou.ture, Ot.awa. Out. MAY, IKlj mm HOTBMimK DIVASTMIWT OT AOUOUITUBI OTTAWA, OAVASA TOBACCO DIVISION QUEBEC EXPERIMENTAL TOBACCO STATIONS SEASON 1911 BT O. CHEVALIER Tobacco Bulletin No. A.-13 PuWUhed by dlrMUon of Hon. MARTIN BURRBIX. MInlater of Agriculture. OtUw*. Ont. 80382—1 MA.Y. leisj Ottawa, May SS, 1912. Hm HonourabV Ifiniator of Acrieulture, Ottawt. 6n,— I have the honour to tubmit herewith Bulletin No. A-13 of the Tobacco DiTiaion, entitled 'Quebec Tobacco Experimental Stationa,' aeaaon 1911. Thia ia a report of Mr. O. Oberalier, the officer in charge of the itationa, on the work performed daring the twaaon 191.1-18. The work of theae atationa coven a very wide field, and thia bulletin ahould make intereating reading for the Quebec tobacco growera who wiah to keep informed on our woric. I recommend that it be printed for distribution. I have the honour to be. Sir, Your obedient aerrant, F OHABLAH, Chief, Tohaccc Division. 30832— li coaniTB. I Paoi. St. JacquM Ktation 7 St. C^Mira .Station 9 II Selection of teed plants H Notes on b«(k 19 The growing of Turkish tobacco in "anoda 13 Chemical fertilicen j4 Rotation ja Experiment with the growing of Cuban t'idri oo 17 Laboratory work Ig z. QUEBEC TOBACCO EZFEBmENTAL STATIONS. ST. JACQUES STATION. The year 1011, as a whole, was a fairly favourable one for tobacco. The snow went off rapidly, the beginning of April was warm and the beds were seeded early. The seedlings made a rapid growth, the month of May being particularly warm and con- ditioM generally faTourable. On May 20, the beds were filled with healthy and robust seedlings; no difBoulty had been experienced in preparing the soil which was in a gdod state of tilth, and everything was ready for setting out. The seedlings took root well and everything went nicely for a month and a half. Unfortunately the growth was practically checked by a severe drought, which started on the 20th of July, and the crop suffered a serious set back. The leaves ripened early and showed a tendency t, thicken. However, the growers who were not afraid to cultivate and weed as often as necessary secured a crop of good quality, which sold without difficulty at profitable prices. TEST or TABIETBS. The selection of the ' Yamaska ' which, as will be remembered, is a hybrid Com- stock X Sumatra, was continued. Special attention was given to the Big Ohio x Sumatra, a more recent hybrid, very promising both as regards yield in weight and quality of tissue. Experiments with Cuban, a directly imported variety, were also pursued with a view to increase the yield and to ascertain the most profitable propor- tion of nicotine. The results of these experiments are given further on in this report. A trial of Turkish tobacco, including two varieties, Karchi and Earchi Yaka, was also made with a view to secure information on the adaptation of this type of tobacco in Canada. SEKoraa. For reasons already stated in a previous report, the warm beds were adopted, with the exception of one bed, out of the total number of six, which was prepared and con- ducted as a hot bed, as a check. Each bed measured 5 feet by 21 feet. All the beds were prepared in the spring and treated as follows, six days before seeding: Victor fertilizer, one-fifteenth of a pound per square foot of seed bed, sprinklings with a solution of hen manure (one part of manure diluted in ten parts of warm water) and sprinklings with a solution of nitrate of soda, every other day, (one pound of nitrate in a gallon of water). All beds Were seeded on the 10th of April at the rate of one-seventh of an ounce of seed for 100 square feet of bed. Swollen seed was used. 1 B«cb No. 1 and 2. Hybrid Big Ohio x Sumatra. Bed No. 8. Tamatka. •' 4. Cuban. . " 5. One half in Karchi and the other half in Earohi Yaka. " 6. (Hot bed.) One half in Big Ohio z Sunuttra and the other half in Yamaaka. The majority of the leedlinga were up ten dagra after aeeding, with the exception of the Turicish tarietiee which aeem to be a little dower. Owing to the favourable weather conditions, no difficulty waa experienced in maintaining a temperature of 48 to 68 degrees Fahr. in the bed at night. The temperature never rose above 8S degrees Fahr. in the day time. The seedlings grew rapidly and the fourth leaf appeared on May 8. Mushrooms appeared on the hot bed in cuch numbers that it was practically impossible to control their growth. This bed was completely lost; it had to be turned over and the soil was carefully kept separate. As the soil was very clean, little weeding was required. The seedlings were greatly benefited by the treatment with hen manure and nitrate of soda, and on the 18th of May everything was ready for setting out. Beds were filled with a dense growth of healthy and robust seedlings. The only ones that showed a tendency to spindle were the seedlings of the Cuban and Turkish tobaccos. Not the slightest trace of disease was observed during the entire growth of the seedlings. TRANSPLANTING. The field on which plants were sown in 1911 was a clover sod, ploughed before the winter. The manure was incorporated with the soil in the spring, as none could pos- sibly be had in the fall. Spring work started at the beginning of May, which is com- paratively early for the province of Quebec. The soil was prepared as follows: — 1. One ploughing before winter. 3. Second ploughing in the spring, to incorpt^rate the manure with the soil. 3. Three harrowings with the disc harrow and the common harrow, followed by rolling. All these cultural operations wjre well done, the temperature and weather condi- tions being particularly favourable. A few days before the settii ^ out, which took place on the 20th of May, the chemical fertilizer was spread on tne acre plot which had been set aside for an experiment with fertilizers. A report on this experiment will be found further on. The crop was composed as follows : — 1. One arpent of Yamaska. 2. One arpent of hybrid Big Ohio x Sumatra on which the experiment with chemical fertilizer was carried. 3. One arpent of Cuban, directly imported. 4. One-half arpent of Cuban. This field was planted with seedlings from Cana- dian seed. Transplanting was done entirely by machine; the seedlings were set 18" z 30" apart; they were well watered at planting time. The distances apart (18" z 30") were modified on a part of the Cuban plantation, with a view to ascertain what distances apart would give the highest yield in weight with an average proportion of nicotine with this variety. This question is dealt with further on in this report. As soon as the setting out was completed, a mixture of bran and Paris green was spread to protect the plantation from cut-worms and grubs. The seedlings took root extremely well, a warm -rain on the 22nd of May Jid much good. Only about 3 per cent of the seedlings had to be replaced. Varieties grown. Area. 1 Transplanting. Topping. HarN est. Yield. Yamaska. Big Ohio X Sumatra. Cuban 1 arpent.. 1 .1 .. 1 ;; :: i .May 20 July 18 .. 20 i 11 18. . . .' 1. 21 i 1. 29 .'. .1 16 1 1, 22 Sept. 2 . Completed 96.5 lbs. 1,M2 1. 1,006 11 Turkish tobacco. . . Sept 21.... 215 11 A great deal of cultivation was necessary during the year. The summer of 1911 being very hot and dry, cultivators and weeders had to be kept going quite often to keep the soil moist. It may be said that one acre of tobacco this year required three times as much work as in an average year. The curing was rapid and easy, owing to the long open fall. The last of the tobacco was stemmed on December 20, 1911. ST. CESAIRE STATION. The two arpents of land available on this station were planted in Yamaska and Big Ohio z Sumatra; the object was to comiiare these two strains with the same varieties as grown at St. Jacques I'Achigan. Another half arpent, not included in the rotation, was planted in Comsto ' Spanish for seed production. Eight hundred seed plants were selected and 25 pounds of choice seed were harvested. This production of seed was the chief object of our work at St. Cesaire station in 1911. Seeding was done as usual and with complete success ; the seedlings were plentiful, healthy and of good quality. Setting out took place on May 19 in a well prepared soil and under favourable weather conditions; however, insects caused a little more damage than at St. Jacques. About *> per cent of the seedlings had to be replaced in three successive settings. The land had received twelve tons of manure to the acre, ploughed in before the winter of 1910-11 ; it was harrowed and rolled three times in the spring. A summary of the work done and of the results obtained will be found in the following t>ible: — Varieties grown. Area. Transplanting. Topping. Hai vest. Yield of seed. 1 arpent 1 1, .... i May 19 July 18 11 16 S«m1 Aug. 22 .1 23 plant" %7 lbs. 963 1. 2.5 ,. Big Ohio X Sumatra. . Ccnrutock ,1 19 .... ■■ 20 . . 8083S— 3 The amount of oultiTation lequired waa not ao great aa in the northern countiea, local atorma haTinff greatly moderated the effect of the drought in St. C^aaire diatrict. Unfortunately, auch atorma were often accompanied hy hail. Thua on Auguat 12 ahout 80 per cent of the learea of our crop were deatroyed aa well aa a large quantity of aeed planta. Thia aeoounta for the poor yield obtained. The curing waa done with little trouble and the tobacco, tho laat of which waa stemmed on December 20, waa perfectly cured and had a very good colour. The ground waa ploughed a few days after the crop waa harvested, as done at St. Jacquea. The cropa obtained at St. Jacques and St. CIsaire will be classed and fermented at the Ottawa experimental farm. The results of this work and the obser- vations made on the different varieties grown will be given later. zz. TXOTES AND APFEHSICES. NOTES ON THE SELEC'liON OF SEED PLANTS. The number of Quebec growers who produce their own tobacco seed is yearly increasing. A few words of i^vice us to this practice may, therofon\ be of some use. In previous publications, growers were warned against the erature is high. These abnurniiil conditions of growth result in what may be called an r^verfed seedling, which generally shews a tendency to elongate or spindle. It looks as though the proper balance wa^ not maintained between nutrition through the roots and nutrition through till- leaves, the latter beiiig by far the most active. The result is that the roots develop very slowly and the mineral nutrition of the plant is deficient. This lack of balance in the general nutrition of the seedling results in perturbations by which its resistance to diseases is considerably decreased. On the other hand, in the warm beds tlie seedlings remain stock, and the roots system is much better developed. The nutri- tion through the leaves and through the roots goes on in a normal way, the seedling grows under natural conditions and its resistaive to diseases is very little affected. As a matter of fact, not the slightest trace of disease was observed in warm beds, whilst the roots and collars of the seedlings were rotting in the hot beds. Lastly the hot beds were so infested with mushrooms that the surface, covered with spores, appeared to be entirely black. This bed had to be destroyed. Under these conditions it will be readily admitted that the sterilization of soils by formaline or by steam is necessary to prevent permanent ' ifection of the soil. This differtace in quality between the seedlings produced on hot and warm beds persists and is chiefly apparent at the time of planting. As many as 19} per cent of the former and only 3 per cent of the latter had to be replaced. It is supposed that damage from insects was the same in each case. For these reasons we conclude that wurm beds are much superior to hot beds and they will altogether be used in the future. Before concluding we desire to remind the growers that sowing with dry seed gives very good results on this system of warm beds. It has been observed, in every case, that a more uniform stand is secured where dry seed is used than when the seed is germinated before sowing. The greater the proportion of germinated seeds, the less Uuiform the stand. It should be remembered that the germ grows upwards. This is called hcliotrupisni. The inverse phenomena is called gcotropism. When sowing with dry seed, some germs have their terminal point pointing downwards whilst 18 othen are pointed upwardi. The growth of the latter is normal from the atart, but the first must twist around and straighten up befora beginning to grow upwards. This twisting process of the germ requires a long time, hence the delay in the growth of these seedlings. This is one of the chief causes of the lack of evenness in the stand. This phenomenon can clearly be seen by observing the germination carefully throu^ a magnifying glass. Of course the use of germinated seed has one advantage: the plants come up quicker, .'.nd for this reason it m>>., , at times, be desirable to adopt this method even on warm beds, but in this casd the seod should be germinated very slightly; they should only be swollen until the tegument begins to split open. NOTES ON GRO\'aNG TURKISH TOBACCO IN CANADA. A plantation of Turkish tobacco was seen by the author in September, 1910, at Ste. Sophie, on the farm of Mr. Schaposnick, who was the first to introduce this tobacco in Canada. The advantages of growing th:s tobacco aro obv lus. In the first place there is a great demand for this variety, owing to the increased consumption of Egyptian cigarettes in Canada; then it is a paying crop: an acre of Turkish tobacco may yield as much as 600 lbs. and prices range up to 40 cents a pound. However, there aro some decided objections which did not escape our notice. The numerous hands required in growing Turkish tobacco, owing to the special method of culture, the difficulty experienced in keepii sr the peculiar aroma which gives this tobacco its market value, and, lastly, the lei -th of time required for its ripening— as many as fou. mc :th8 must elapse before it can be harvested — these are three serious drawbacks. Wishing ascertain, for ourselves, the value of this crop in Canada an experi- ment was undertakei at our station of St, Jacques I'Achigan. Two varieties of Turkish tobacco : Ka •chi and Karchi Yaka were grown. As a whole the experiments were favourable, and though it is not positively known as yet what the aroma will be, still we feel justifie:'. in recommending the growing of Turkish tobacco in Canada, but in small areas ooly (half an acre at most) and only by growers who have a very large family. The yield obtained was about 200 pounds of tobacco. The cost of p.oduction is about 22 cents a pound and the selling price about 35 to 40 cents. Our profit was $2C; which is equivalent to a net profit of $104 per acre. The most important item is the high cost of labour, which is the chief drawback in the growing of this tobacco. The growing of Turkish tobacco is quite different from that of other varieties. The warm bed may be employed but sowing should be done at the very beginning of April. The plants are set out out at the end of May. They are set very close, 6 x 20 inches; therefore transplanting must be done entirely by hand. The application of - nure should not exceed 20 tons per acre; it is this quantity which gives the best yields without af-* t:ri.T the aroma. If more than 20 tons are applied, the growth is too rapid, the aroma poor and the leaf coarse. Hilling and weeding aro done in the same tnhnner as usual Topping is done very late end very high and it is advisable to leave the first two head buds. By this means the yield' is materially increased. At least two months are required before huTMtiBc, irtUoh b doM leiJ by iMtf. •Urting with tha ripe bottom k«wi. Tfco tobMOO ihonld be fairly well ripened. The leeree aie herreetet* one by one, from bottom to top, ee they ripen. Thua the fleM haa to be gone orer four, ft e or aix timaa, and it u hardly poaaiUe to complete harraating before the and of fiit^tember. It ia thia operation iriiieh requirea the moat labour and which reatrioto the growing of Tnridah tobaooo to thoae growera only who hare large f amiliea. Owing to tha doee- ne« of the plantation, ehildrwi are aWe to do better work. It ia thongfat th * a child of tan yeara, well trained in thia kind of work, may harreat from M to 80 poonda a The harraated laavea are atmng on latha, and the latha, which an 4 to 6 feet long, are hung horiiontally in apecial curing houaea. A curing houae for Turkiah tobaooo oonaiato of a li^t wooden frame, 6 to 6 feet high, corered with glaia. Hot bed iaahea make very good covera. The curing houae may be aet up against a wall with a aunny expoaura. which forms the beat poaaible aituation. The waU ia uaed at the back of the curing houae. The oppoaite aide ia i^aaed like the top, at least on three-fourtlia of ita length. Bed aashea can alao bo uaed for thia purpoae. They ahould be set with a light slant, aa wdl aa Hnpf^ f the roof, to faciliUte the removal of the water in case of rain. The two enda oi * 3 curing house may be coTered with cotton sheets which are quite satiafactory. The great difSculty in curing is in oLlaining the pale colour which ia preferred in Turkish tobacco. Care has to bo giren to regulate the entrance of air. of light and the degree of heat Thia is a delicate operation which requires a grc t deal of care, aa there ia great danger of sweating during the hanging of the producta. The curing takes place slowly; it requires from 40 to 60 days. The first curing is completed by a second one, in a garret, where the laths are h jng yertically, fairly dose to each other. This is what is called ' mite en iouffee ' or ' bunching.' Then the leavea are graded in low leaves, middle leavee and top leaves; ill each of these three groups the leaves are divided in dark and light-coloured leavea, or six classes in all. The tobacco is now ready for fermenting. NOTES ON CHEMICAL FERTILIZEBS. In Bulletin No. A-6 of the series of the Tobacco Division, the importance of aqteriments with chemical fertilizers is dwelt upon, and the proper method of experi- menting is explained. The chief purpose of the bulletin is to encourage the gfrowen to ascertain for themaelvea the fertility of their land by a well planned test of single fertilizers and to warn them against the irrational use of fertilizers put on the market under the name of ' complete fertilizers.' Experimente were carried on our stations, using the method recommended to the growers, and the results obtained aa well as the obaervations made during the last three yeara have been compiled and are here preaented. The fertility of the soil was determined by a physico-chemical ana sis, and by actual growing experiments, the latter in order to check the data of the analysis. This work required two years, after which a special fertilizer ws ordered, the composition of which was based upon the results obtained. An arpent of land was divided into three equal plots on which the following mixtures were applied in 1911 : 16 Plot No. 1.— 500 pound! »ulph«te of ammonia, 300 pound* aniphate of potwh and 900 pounda of luperphofplute. Plot No. 2,-600 pounda of aulphata of ammonia, aoo pounda aulphate of potuh and SOO pounda aupen^ioaphate. Plot No. 3.-4J0O pounda aulphate of ammonia, 300 pounda sulphate of potuh and 100 pounda of aup«n>hoaph»te. Farmyard manure, at the rate ot 12 tona per arpent had been applied during the praceding winter. The yielda were u foUowa:— Plot No. 1.-1,423 pounds per arpent. " 2.-1,808 « 8.-1,848 Aa the figure* ahow, plot No. 1 gave the beet reeulU, oorreaponding very do*ely to the roeulU obtained during the two preceding yeara. Thia waa to be expected, but the teat doea not leave any doubt aa to thia point In preaenting the reau'^a of the teat made in 1909 it waa concluded that nitrogen aeemed to be the moat important element. Thia fact ia confirmed by thia year'* teat, whilst the rather important part played by phoaphoric acid is clearly brought into light. Comparing plots No. 1 and No. 2 it is seen that the addition of 100 pounda of superphoaphate increaaed the yield by 121 pounda. A comparison between plot No. 8 and plot No. 1 brings further evidence as to the value of phosphoric acid. Although plot No. 3 haa received 100 pounds more of sulphate of ammonia than plot No. 1, yet, compared to the ^atter, it shows a decrease in yield of 76 pounds, which can be attributed to the fact that it had received 200 Iba. of superphosphate leas than No. 1. It would thus seem that the mixture of fertilizers eaaigned for plot No. 1 ia the beet all around. . . • -j It waa ahown in chemical analysis that the aoU contained 0-71 in phoaphoric acid. It may be a cause for surprise that this insignificant quantity of auperphoaphate (200 pcunda) should have such a marked efiect on the yield when there is already auch a larta proportion of phosphoric acid in the soil. It cannot be admitted that the addi- tion of thia quantity of superphosphate has made good a lack of phoaphoric acid in the soil, even considering the rather high yield in grain and the fairly large production of tobacco seed. One may, at thia stage, recall a auggeation of Mr. E. Gauthier, who wonders if the action of chemical fertUitera ia really a nutritive action, or if it is not rather of a 'dynamic, exciting, anti-toxical nature'! Do not chemical fertilizer, rather act aa ' a stimulant, a diastase or of an anti-toxin.' Thia hypothesis is perhaps not very far from becoming a law. In fact it has been practically proved to be true so far as manganese ia concerned. An interesting experiment would be to act upon thie soggeation and see if those soils of Ontario, '^hich absolutely refuse t. grow some varietiea of tobacco, could not be made to grow theae varieties with the help of chemical fertiliaera. No doubt the continuous growing of tobacco on the same field produces a sort ot infection and such infected soils are said to be ' tobacco sick.' The question is to find a means to avoid this infection or to correct it. 16 NOTES ON THE ROTATION. A ftw jTMun ICO, after • csraful itudy of Um •jntoiu of culture in which tobMoo ba iacludcd, • three yean rotatimi waa adopted bj this Diriaion aad recora- mended for reaaona stated in Bulletin No. A-i. The rotation ia aa followa: — Tobaoeo. Oata or barky- Clorer. Thia rotation harinc been foOowed for three yeara on our Quebec experimental atationi. its practical adrantagea may now be aaoertained. The aTerage yield from the Tarious crops grown during these three years are given in the following table : — Y«ar. 1 Tokaeoo ' Barley atiacaTbT buahvL CloTcr at M a Um. QroM revanur. Ket nvenu*. 1M0 lUO mi Iba. 180 1,076 l.lfiO buiheU. 33 38 38 tooa. J* • c 141 tW 149 SB lUon 1 0. 71 6U 86 m 8H«) The difference between net and groeg returns is considerable, but it should be remembered that the cost of production is very high on our experimental stations, as all help, for any work, has to be paid for. The chief thing to note is that the gross and net revenues have steadily increased every year from 1900 to 1011. Now, figuring up the total average revenue for the three years from the arpent which was in toba<-co in 1000, in barley in 1010 and in clover in 1011, — that is to say the arpent on which the rotation has run its course, — we have a result of $146.80, which is a little better than in 1000. Judging from the results of the first three years it may safely be assumed that the second rotation's period will yield a revenue considerably higher than the first one, from year to year. This is a good point in favour of the rotation which we recommend. However, although this rotation is the one that is actually giving the best results, it is not perfect, and might be made more profitable. It has been thovtght that the production of clover seed might bet included with advantage and a suggestion to this effect was made to the growers. The following method might be adopted: Cut the first growth of clover no later than the end of June then let the second growth ripen until September and cut when the heads are completely black. The crop should be left to dry on the field three or four weeks, or even a month. The ripening will be more thorough and the seed will thresh easier. The clover seed, being well pro- tected and very hardy, does not suffer from exposure to rain, cold or even snow. After turning over the crop a few times, on the field, it may be gathered and threahed when the weather ia very cold and dry. An acre may easily yield one hundred pounds of clover seed which, at 20 cents a pound, would make an additional revenue of $20 from the rotation. i IT But the ifiowinc of oIotw Med hM many other adrMtagw. In th« flnt plM* the gtown who bu not to btiy aecfl at the prerailing high pricea and who produoaa oLeaply a large quantity of it ia not afraid to aow it thidily on hia fieldB and haa alwaya a large crop. There will be more olorer rooU and more nodule* to gather nitrogen, whieh ia a Terjr important point for the tobacoo grower. Laatly the fanner who produoea hb own elorer leed will rery loon hare an acclimatiied Tariety, adapted to the conditiona of hit diatriot, and will no longer fail to get a cat«h. In a good year one arpent of clover will yield two tona of hay which repreaenta an average of $16. Adding t20 of aeed, there it a grote total revenue of 186. Thua thia method enable* ut to get more out of the rotation whilat increating the fertility of the toil. This i» the reaaon why we recommend it to the growert. Tobacco ia not the only plant to be benefited by thit three yeart' roUtion. The yielda in barley and clover alto thow a gradual increaae aa will be teen by coneulting the table. There it, howetsr, one exception in the latt crop of clover, but thit it an accident due to the extreme drought of the aummer of 1011. The tobaooo plantation of 1909 wat followed by barley in 1910 and by clover in 1911. In 1911, barley wat town on the field which waa in tobacco in 1910. whilat tobaooo waa planted on a clover tod. Thit it one reault in favour of Uie rotation, but a better one ttill it expected in 191S. Next year the rotation will ttart over again and the tobacoo plantation will be in the tame field aa in 1909. EXPERIMENTS WITH THE OKOWINO OF CUBAN. A few yeart ago an experiment waa made with the growing of Cuban tobaooo. The product waa utilized at fillert in the manufacturea of oigart which were very much appreciated. Unfortunately the Cuban variety givea only a very light yield in weight in thit country, and the object of thia year't experiment waa to find out a method of culture by which this yield could be increaaed. An experiment was made on one arpent, which waa divided into tix plott; on each one of theae aix plota the crop waa treated aa followa : — Plot No. 1.— Ordinary method of cultivation. " 2. — Topping waa done much higher than in preceding plot. " 8. — Cultivation was done aa uaual, but one foot bud was left, which waa topped in due time. " 4. — Same as No. 3 but two foot buds were kept instead of one. " 6. — One bud was left to every leaf. « 6. The growth of the plant was not checked and all buds were removed shortly before harvesting. Tk* tix plots ««• pnpand in th* nroal uMMl dktaaoM of IS" x SCT. The yM