A review of the work of the Experimental Farms . E SHEEP SWINE 1891 1912 1,470, 3,997,781. 2,563,781. 1,733,85°2,336, 6,983, 2,360, 2,656,400 These figures do not, however, reveal the backward methodsunder which farming was carried on in those days, and which weremost in need of improvement. In the older provinces, as on the Prairies at the present time,it was the rule to depend chiefly upon the sale of grain for revenue. 10 Had this been grown in the light of the knowledge possessed byalmost every tiller of the soil of the present day, conditions would nothave reached so s
A review of the work of the Experimental Farms . E SHEEP SWINE 1891 1912 1,470, 3,997,781. 2,563,781. 1,733,85°2,336, 6,983, 2,360, 2,656,400 These figures do not, however, reveal the backward methodsunder which farming was carried on in those days, and which weremost in need of improvement. In the older provinces, as on the Prairies at the present time,it was the rule to depend chiefly upon the sale of grain for revenue. 10 Had this been grown in the light of the knowledge possessed byalmost every tiller of the soil of the present day, conditions would nothave reached so serious a state as to excite alarm. The more pro-gressive farmers knew no better way to clean the land than by barefollowing. The yard manure was not considered fit to apply untilit had rotted down to a black, mushy condition, and then it was notinfrequently applied at an extraordinary rate per acre and this almostentirely to the hoed crop. In the light of the present day muchtime was wasted in ploughing deeply to the loss of much valuable fer-. The Directors residence from the north, 1891. tility. The value of surface tillage to conserve moisture was notunderstood and in dry years the losses were enormous. The gospelof clover growing for the lands sake was not yet accepted by therank and file who looked upon it as too valuable food to plow speak of bacteria in the soil was to court ridicule and bring derisionupon a book farmer. Here and there a staunch Old-Countrymanobserved in a more or less intelligent way a system of crop rotation,but few even of these men understood, as most farmers do now, thetrue underlying principles of a successful system. Practically no oneploughed a clover sod in those days, but land was left in grass until thenative sorts had driven the cultivated varieties from the field. To II the average man, oats were white or black, wheat fall or spring, baldor bearded, and barley was only barley. Those who were careful tosow good seed selected their o
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