CIHM Microfiche Series (IMonographs) ICIMH Collection de microfiches (monographles) Canadian Institute for Historical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographlques The Institute has attempted to obtain the t}est original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. D D D D n D D D D D D D Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur Covers damaged / Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated / Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicula Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps / Cartes g^raphiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations / Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material / Reli^ avec d'autres documents Only edition available / Seule Edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge intdrieure. Blank leaves added during restorations may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / II se peut que certaine^ pages blanches ajout^es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela ^tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6X6 film^s. Additional comments / Commentaires suppl^mentaires: L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6\6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibn- ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une nrKxlifteation dans la m^tho- de nomiale de filmage sont indiqute ci-dessous. 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This Ittm iki filnwd at the reduction ratio ehaeked balow / Ca doeumant aat film4 au taux da rMuetion lndiqu« ci-dessous. lOx 14x 18x 12x ItK 20x 22x T 26x 30x 24x 28x 32x Th« copy filmed hare has b««n reproductd thanks to the ganarosity of: Library Agricultura Canada Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha bast quality possibia considaring tha condition and laglbillty of tha original copy and in Itaaping with tha filming contract spacificatlons. Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad beginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion, or tha back covar whan appropriate. All othar original copias ara filmad beginning on the first page with a printed or illustratad impres- sion, and anding on tha last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain tha symbol — ^> (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. IMaps. plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 1 2 4 5 L'«x«mplair« filmi fut raproduit grice k la g4n*ro«it4 da: Bibliothiqut Agriculturt Canada Las imagat suivantas ont *t4 raproduitas avac la plus grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da I'axamplaira film*, at an conformity avac las conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Las axamplairas orlglnaux dont la couvartura an paplar ast Imprlmia sont fllmte an comman9ant par la pramlar plat at an tarminant solt par la darniAra page qui comporta una ampralnta d'Imprassion ou d'lllustration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous las autres axamplairas orlglnaux sont fllmte an comman9ant par la pramlira paga qui comporta una ampralnta d'Imprassion ou d'lllustration at an tarminant par la darnlira paga qui comporta una talia ampralnta. Un das symbolas suivants apparaftra sur la darnlAra Imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la cas: la symbols — ► signlflo "A SUIVRE", la symbols V signifia "FIN". Las cartas, planchaa, tableaux, ate. pauvant Atra fllmte h das taux da rMuction dlffirants. Lorsqua la document ast trop grand pour ttra reproduit en un seul clich*. il est filmi A partir da Tangle supirieur gauche, de gauche A drolte, et de haut an bas, an prenant la nombre d'images nicessaira. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 2 3 5 6 »«CiOCOfY RBOUmON TBT CHART (ANSI and ISO T£ST CHAKT No. 2) lim ■ 2^ , ■" |» ■^B Hhhi la Li m lit III u IM ti& HtoH i^ N 1 ill 1-6 jA ^jppyigjvMGE 1653 East Main Sire., (716) ?B«-59B9-F,. KXIIIBITIOX CIRCTI.AR NO. 4;. JINK 1915. DaMlsms 01 CANADA. »KPAKT.MKNT OF AGRldLTrRi; KXPKRI.MKNTAL FAR.Ms J. .'•:. i.KlslVM.K. I«. M.K., Director. J. A. ll.AKK, U.S.A., SiiperiiitoiuL-iit. KXPKRI.MENT.M. .STATION. CHARI.OTTKTOWN. I'.K.I. SEED OATS J. A. CI.ARK. H.S.A. IVince KJvvard Island has been famous as an oal-prodiiciny countrv tor a con- tiKv. Immense crops uere grown on her %irgin lands and shipped to ' Hurope or to the neighboring^ Provinces and States. When the virgin lands decreased in their productiveness it was found that slK'll-mud from the great deposits in the rivers and bavs gave further lease to the wonderful productive qualities of the .soil. This soil-mining continued until the c.nsus of 1890 showed that the average yield (or that vear" >vas a little less than ly bushels per acre. About that date, under wise leadership, the tarmers of the Pro- vuice were able to rapidiv change from selling oats and other raw materials to selling such finished products as butter and cheese. The eftect of the improved nviiiagement was quickly recorded in the increased vield per acre of the oat crop and the census of 1900 gave an average yield per acre of over 27 bushels. It was about this time ( 1900) that more careful seed selection work was begun bv the Macdonald-Kobertson Competition and afterwards continued bv the r-em- bor> of the Canadian Seed Growers A.ssociation in this Province. We' cannot vet est.mate the influence of this movement which from a very small beginning is now rapidly showing beneficial effects on the crops of the I'rovince. The average \ ield ot oats per acre according to the census of 1910 was over 2H bushels. A census re- turn states that the average yield for 1914 is over 3X bushels per acre or more than double that of 1S90. That is surety growing two bushels ot oats where one grew before. Can two blades of grass be made to grow on Prince lldward Island where one grow in 1914.-' The writer believes they can and that two bushels of o.Us can be n adb to grow in this Province where one grew in 1914. METHODS OF IMPROVING SEED OATS. Climatic conditions that are favorable to the full dovelopn.ent of a plant are conducive to the rapid improvement of that plant ant' Prince Kdw.ird Island seems 630. U CZ12 Exp. Farms Service Exhib. Circ. to be particularly adapted for developing first qiialitv seed ts. Under such conditions the simple method of mass st -n from a seed p'.m ^hlt 7he ^''' '" ^""■""■', '■""'"""''' 'f''''"- •'*"" •'^'*'=»'-' -^ 'he pic"i„Vof he' rol »h,™ ■" ^""""J*'"/'* "" ♦»'? ''*''' P'""'- i" his field, and u.sin>r the s.cd trom them as parents for future crops. *• Pu T''*!"'^ is quite an improvement over the fannini; mill selection th-.l so k'reatly helped our father's crops whereby it is possible to eliminate mamnf.h non-producers that failed to produce a prolific head, grain d He en inTolini or other characters that we consider necessary in first quality seed. "•"'"'">- '"^ Another method starts with the individual mother plant which may be obtain edbythe md.v,dual selection of one plant out of thousands or by careful pla breedmg and selectKJn. The .seed from the individual mother plant is hi" n^u pi.ed and d^tr.buted. This method being difficult and expensive has^ been "rr on largely by the Cerealists and Cereal Husbandmen at the ExpertmenUl Farm Spates ""Brth-' ''VV".'*'"""'^"^^' ^^S!'*'*-'^'* throughout Canada and the f n .cd bT":. s^e^el^Tirorc^mV.'^ ''""'''''' '" ''' ^^"'>- ''^-^'" '"'P— ^ "'" P'ots ChnilottctoHi, Expoiiiiicntal Station. Aiiffust sil,. mt. WHERE TO OBTAIN FOUNDATION STOCK. .^roJn hv "71 '"'"■'t'"^' '""'-y^'''* ••'''"^^> the members of the Canadian Seed Growers Association in his P,, VARIETIES. dentS'X' nvrnT": "•"^^"■-'^■'■»='><'^" i" 'he .Sprin.j, of ,.„. ^bv the Superit^f. n- uent ot tht Char ottetown !>>tation, the Seed Inspector and a number . t • ,. i-.I tarmers .n K.ngsJ.and Queens Counties to detern^ine which ofX H^ee i:.'.:; I,,! t>pes of oats were best su.te.l to certain localities. Banner. Litfowo. Old Ma. d .nl\'"'"u "'^,^'?"««'«^'' Jhosen. Kach variety was ,ow„ in duplicate each ve.r on a number of different farms. Equal portions o» the best seed obtainable ot tli. different varieties were sent out bv the Charlotteto^^n Experimental Station each spring. With one exception, the product was returned in the Autumn when it was threshed and wei^'hed by theStation staff at Charlottetown. On one occasion tl-.- superintendent was present at the threshing and weighing o» the plots on one farm. The results of three >cars observations are here given: Banner Old Island Black Li gowo Average yield per acre from 12 plots of each variety in i<)i J Bus. 55 Lbs. »4 Bus. Lb^. 40 H Bus 46 Lbs. Average yield per acre from 8 plots of each variety in 191;,. ()f) .V h2 12 58 2i A\crage yield per acre from dj plots of each variety in 11)14. 70 Grand average yield per acre trom 26 plots of each variety U)12-"«ii K\i.,-iimcntal Station, I!tl4 I'rom tlif abavc Juta it will he seen that HariiK-r has ca».li >car proved to In- • ro proJiKtive than tlie oats rcprcscntii)),' tlic twi< i u;,s belter suited to niosl ot .-• \<>:alitie!> than Banner before the co-operati\e w k bej;an. Banner oats has .■\\T led the list any >ear ,it the Charlottetown Station but it has al\\a>s been .v! lip on ihe list. This oat is pvipular and is hi)flil> rei'onimended both on >v»i'.int ol' its );oih1 k^u.dities and because of the deiuand fi>r ii lor seed purpose on rir.e Kdward Island anJ in the neifjhborin}| Proi inces. Old Island Black is a variety that has been developed in the IVon iiice. It .« :i thinner hull than Banne'. It is prob.tblv due to the excellent i)ualities of '^ iMt that black (>als still contiiute to brinj; jcts. more per bushel than white most of the "Maritinie" markets. Its chief failinj; is the weakness of its straw > :t is likely to Iodide badly on rich land. Farm operations in the production of Seed Oats. A ^jocxl site should be chosen tor the Seed v>ats plot and niulliplyiuj; field. It u^)l to have the manure applied the previous year on ro^^ts. The j,'round should .• broiijfht to a jfotKl tilth by tliorouj,'h cultivation as earl\ in the season as possible. lie seed ^rain after beiniif treated with formalin should be sown as soon as it will .J riifht in the seeder or drill, allowance beinj,' made for the swellint; of the j^rain ; tlu- iiinj,'icide. About 2'j bushels ot dr\ irr.iin per acre it sown with a drill is reconi mended, ■.I'.iniifh c|uite as jjood results have heei; ohtained Irom 2 bushels. Seed ijrain should be ro^'ucd and all noxious \\ eeds and forei);,''!! >,'rain re :.'Vcd from the standing crop. It should be allowed to ripen well before cutting,' ■J should be dr\ as shot before beinj; stored in the barn. Cireat care should be taken in threshin;.;, cleanini,'. and storinjr so as to avoid •■^ irities. This is much easier done if I'lily one variety of oats is j^towii and fed !l:v.' tariii. SUMMARY Seed Oats of the very first i.|uality is beln^' produced in Prince Kdward Island. r.* improved farm methods and more .selection ot Seed Oats the averaj;e yield per i.Tc U'r the whole Province has been doubled in 24 years. Bv thorouj|ii. clci'ii .■ litivation and the Use of only first quality seed ot the very best sorts the vield c:in ho ,!,'reatly increased throuyrhoiit the Province. .\n indication of the possibil- itiv, of oat culture was shown by the avera),'e yield ol the 10 best plots at the lixperimental Station here in 1914 which was at the rate of i ih bushels and .•<• p>imds per acre. There is an ever increasin;,' demand in Nova Scotia, New 1!; tiii.swick, (Quebec and Ontario for the very best .seed oats we can produce. B\ tie methods suf.'>jested we tan maintain our stock as at present or increa.se it and s'.ill have surticient to yield a larije inconij trom tlk- surplus sent to the other i' oviiices tor seed purposes.