230 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR THE MARITIME PROVINCES. 



EEPOET OF W. M. BLAIR, SUPERINTENDENT. 



To William Saunders, Esq., 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith the following report of the opera-/ 

 tions on the Experimental Farm for the Maritime Provinces atNappan,N.S., during 

 the year 1890 :— 



WEATHER. 



The year has been beset with difficulties for farm work. The winter was mild 

 with much rain and occasional short periods of extreme cold, and, as the ground 

 was bare at those periods, the frost penetrated very deep, in many places four feet. 

 The spring was wet, with cold east winds extending into June. Farm work com- 

 menced on 6th May, seeding on 17th May, and continued at intervals as the land 

 could be got ready and the weather would permit, until 16th June, during which 

 time there was a continuation of cold which lasted until Ist July. It was then fine 

 with occasional showers until 9th August. Then followed an almost continuous rain 

 for two weeks, which was succeeded by fair weather, with some rain, until 9th 

 September, After this commenced what is called the warm rain, which continued 

 nine days with very warm weather, and which terminated in a flood that destroyed 

 large quantities of grain as well as the late Marsh hay. This was also destructive to 

 potatoes, causing them to rot badly. From that time until October, there was fine 

 weather, with wet again until the ground was frozen 1st December. 



MANURE. 



450 loads of marsh-mud was drawn from the marsh flats during the time there 

 was sleighing. A dressing of this mud at the rate of 100 loads per acre, usually gives 

 a strong growth of straw, free from rust, with the heads well tilled and heav3^ The 

 manure from the cattle and horse stables was drawn to the fields during the winter, 

 and eit'.er spread directl}- on the land, or, when the litter was long and coarse it was 

 piled up to rot. Care was taken to have the horse and cattle manure well mixed 

 when piled, so as to insure more i-apid decomposition. 



In addition to this, special fertilizers wei-e used, manuflactured by the Provincial 

 Chemical Fertilizing Co., of St. John, N. B., " Ceres " Superphosphate, manufactured 

 by Jack & Bell, Halifax, and bone-meal and phosphate manufactured b}' Samuel 

 Archibald, Truro, N. S. There appears so far to be very little difference in the 

 quality of these different kinds. In each case we found the grain more jjlump and 

 heavj' in the kernel where it was used, while there was little difference in the growth 

 of straw, indicating that the profit for this expenditure is to be found mainly in the 

 weight and quality of the grain, rather than in the stouter growth of the straw in 

 the field, which is often taken as the chief indication of the value of special 

 fertilizers. 



