Caption
Dark as the inside of a cow, said Mark Twain about the inky blackness of midnight on the Mississippi. Today, scientists at Canada's Central Experimental Farm -- within the Ottawa city limits -- are shedding bright lights on that once-dark interior. Above, Dr. G. I. Pritchard of the Animal Research Institute takes a sample of after-dinner breath from Lorraine, one of the small and tractable goats used as "guinea pigs" for research into the digestive processes of grazing animals. Such basic research, aimed at finding out not just what works, but how and why, is the real purpose of the Canada Department of Agriculture's Research Branch. The Ottawa farm -- 1200 acres of greenery only 10 minutes from the Parliament Buildings -- is the head link in a chain of farms, laboratories and stations spread across the nation. Together, these farms have helped to make Canada one of the big breadbaskets of the world. Information is exchanged with many countries ranging from Brazil to the Soviet Union. News of improved farming methods and new crop varieties goes to the farmer through provincial agricultural officers, bulletins, radio and T.V. Results: a more efficient farmer, a continuing well-stocked larder for Canada.
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928