REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 73 



dry weather which followed the hay harvest had resulted in a short growth of straw in 

 cereal crops and in many instances lessened the yield. In quality, however, the grain 

 is usually good, the kernel being plump and well developed. Most of the other crops on 

 the experimental farm had given or at that time gave promise of satisfactory returns. 

 For particulars in regard to these and other interesting points the reader is referred to 

 the report of the superintendent of that farm appended. 



The fruit orchard had made satisfactory progress and many of the young apple trees 

 were bearing, some of the plums and cherries had also borne fruit. A new line of 

 experimental work in the tile draining of marsh land was begun this year which it is 

 hoped will prove advantageous. The general progress made in the improvement of the 

 land and the condition in which the buildings, implements and stock were kept was very 

 satisfactory and creditable to the superintendent in charge. 



SECOND VISIT TO THE WEST. 



In travelling westward for the second journey, the route to the Pacific by the 

 " Soo " line was chosen in order to gain an opportunity of visiting the Experimental 

 stations in Minnesota and South Dakota, U.S. 



MINNESOTA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The Minnesota Station at St. Anthony's Park, Minneapolis, was inspected on the 

 4th and 5th of September, when I was most courteously received by Prof. W. M. Hays, the 

 officer in charge, also by Prof. S. B. Green, who has charge of the horticultural and bot- 

 anical departments and by the other officers of the station who all did everything 

 in their power to make my visit pleasant. It was a source of much regret to me that 

 Prof. Thos. Shaw, late of Guelph, now a highly esteemed member of the staff of this 

 institution, was unavoidably absent during the time of my visit. 



There are 250 acres of land belonging to the Minnesota experiment station, about 

 100 acres of which are laid out in experimental plots for grain, corn, fodder plants, <kc. 

 The grain crops had all been cut before my arrival, but the yields were reported as 

 small on account of the drought. The corn and other late crops remaining were all 

 very much stunted and parched. The experiments planned here are of a very practical 

 character and promise to be very useful to the farmers of the state. The land is well 

 situated and appeared to be of good quality, and in ordinary seasons would no doubt 

 give satisfactory returns. The area devoted to experiments with fruits and econo- 

 mic and ornamental trees and shrubs was large. Many promising varieties, especially 

 of plums were seen in fruit and opportunities afforded of testing their respective merits 

 as grown in this climate. Much useful information was also gained from the tests in 

 progress with some of the hardy Russian apples and with the hardier forms of trees and 

 shrubs. 



On Sept. 6th I left Minneapolis for Brookings, South Dakota. On the route 

 through South Dakota as well as after arrival at Brookings, it was everywhere evident 

 that the effects of the dry season had been felt most severely, the crops had all been 

 very much stunted and had ripened prematurely. Many of the fields of grain had 

 been left uncut and the straw was very short, in some instances not more than 8 or 10 

 inches high with very small and partly developed heads, some of the best of these 

 fields were being cut with a mower as the material was too short to use a binder, and the 

 heads were raked into heaps and hauled to the thresher, but it is a question whether 

 the yield thus obtained, at the low prices prevailing, would pay for the extra labour in- 

 volved. With so little straw and a very light crop of hay, the prospects for wintering 

 stock were very discouraging to many farmers. 



The Experiment station and agricultural college grounds at Brookings, which con- 

 sist of about 400 acres, are nicely located on apiece of high rolling prairie. The officers 

 at the station were all very courteous and gladly gave me all the information at their 

 command. Under the guidance of Prof. L. C. Corbett, who has charge of the fruit and 



