CA-K229Economy & trade

William Saunders and the Experimental Farms

The William Saunders Building at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, photographed in 2014. William Saunders building, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa (20140919-IMG 9847) · Matti Blume · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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William Saunders (1836–1914), an expert in scientific agriculture, became the first director of the federal Department of Agriculture’s new Experimental Farms Branch in 1886. He created many promising varieties of fruit and grain and began the research that led to Marquis wheat, developed by his son Charles.

Scope & context

His agricultural work, not the full history of the Experimental Farms or of Marquis wheat.

Sources behind this record

William Saunders (1836-1914) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text