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EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR MANITOBA. 



EEPOET OF S. A. BBDFOED, SUPERINTENDENT. 



Brandon, Manitoba, Dec. 31, 1890. 

 To Wm. Saunders, Esq., 



Dii'ector Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 

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

 tions on the Experimental Farm for Manitoba at Brandon, during the year 1890. 



WEATHER. 



Although there has been a deficiency of rain throughout the south-easterly por- 

 tions of the province, the past season has generally been a favourable one for all farm 

 products. Seasonable showers fell from the 20 th to the 23rd of April. During May 

 and June the rainfall was below the average, and for a short time, fears were enter- 

 tained that the drought of 1889 would be repeated, but happily these fears, so far as 

 this portion of the province was concerned, were dispelled by the abundant rains 

 which fell from the 5th to the 25th of July, and from that date all vegetation made 

 rapid growth. On the 20th of August the wind shifted to the north and continued 

 from that direction until the evening of the 22nd, when the temperature on the 

 lower lands fell below the frost line, slightly injuring the uncut wheat in some por- 

 tions of the province. Considerable rain fell from the 23rd to the 25th of August, 

 and the first half of September was very wet, greatly delaying harvesting, and in 

 some cases sprouting badly the shocked grain. 



The following is a review of the temperature and rainfall for the province dur- 

 ing the growing season. 



In April the Temperature was 07 above the normal. Rainfall, 1-13 or 0*31 

 inches below the average. 



May. — The Temperature was 8*4 below the normal. Rainfall 1*75 inches, or 

 0'80 inches below the average. 



June. — The Temperature was 3*9 above the normal. Rainfall 2*64 inches or 

 1'07 below the average. 



July. — The Temperature was 2*0 above the normal. Rainfall 3*28 inches or 

 0*24 above the average. 



August. — The Temperature was 3*9 below the normal. Rainfall 3*54 inches 

 or 0'60 inches above the average. 



September. — The Temperature was 1*7 below the normal. Rainfall 2-83 inches 

 or 1"03 above the average. 



WHEAT. 



Sixty varieties were sown in large plots on the Experimental Farm this year, 

 30 varieties on the higher portion of the farm, and 30 acres in the valley. The 

 stronger lauds of the valley averaged the largest yields, but the uplands gave the 

 best samples, very little, if any, of the grain from the higher land was injured by the 

 frost of 22nd and 23rd August, but its effects were plainly seen on the late varieties 

 in the valley. A very striking difference was shown in its effects on different 

 varieties of wheat maturing at the same time, the close and heavy chaffed varieties 

 appear the least liable to injur}'' from this cause. White Fife and AVhite Connel are 

 striking examples of this, for although neither of these varieties were much earlier 

 than the Red Fife, the samples were much better. 



Tests were made of cutting wheat at different stages of ripeness, but owing to 

 the exceptionally cloudy and wet weather pirevailing during harvest, the tests were 

 not reliable for average years. 



TEST OF WHEAT ON BACKSETTING. 



Deeming it important that all varieties of wheat tested should receive similar 

 treatment, a block of nearly uniform new upland prairie was selected and sown with 



