74 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



forest plantations, I visited the forest tree belts, which were very instructive, as they 

 had been planted about 10 years and thus afforded opportunities of comparison with the 

 growth of similar trees more recently planted at Indian Head and Brandon. Prof. 

 Chilcott, the agriculturist, drove me over the lands devoted to agricultural experiments. 

 The chemist, Prof. J. H. Shepard, kindly conducted me through the laboratory and sub- 

 mitted samples of the waters from artesian wells in various parts of the state which he 

 had collected for the purpose of analysis. Prof. T. A. Williams, the Botanist and 

 Entomologist, also gave me much information regarding the plants and shrubs, hardy in 

 this part of South Dakota, and assisted me in collecting seeds of some of the most 

 promising sorts for test in Canada. I left on the following day for the west, much 

 pleased with the information gained. 



That formidable weed known as Russian thistle was very common over a large area 

 in both the Dakotas and where farms have been abandoned after partial breaking or 

 where fields have been neglected this weed was observed in great abundance. 



On the way to Moose Jaw, a day was spent at Estevan, N.W.T., where some of the 

 recently opened coal seams were visited. The supply of this material in that locality 

 is most abundant and the quality seems to be that of a very good lignite. 



Arrangements had been made that Mr. A. Mackay, the Superintendent of the Experi- 

 mental Farm at Indian Head, should join me in this journey to the Pacific coast, and 

 from Moose Jaw we travelled together to Agassiz where we arrived September 13th. 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, AGASSIZ. 



Satisfactory progress had been made with the work on this branch farm. The 

 young orchards were bearing fruit, and the plums, which were Justin their prime, were 

 of excellent quality and yielding well ; a considerable number of the young apple trees 

 had also come into bearing. There are now more than 1,200 varieties of fruit under 

 test at this farm. The experiments in planting on the higher bench lands on the sides 

 of the mountains are proving very successful, the young fruit trees coming earlier into 

 leaf there than those planted in the orchards in thn valley. These experiments are of great 

 importance to the pro\ince for these patches of land on the hill sides are of little or no 

 value for general agricultural purposes, and if they can be advantageously turned into 

 fruit orchards, it will give a great impetus to fruit growing in British Columbia, as the 

 quantity of such land available is very large. The plantations of hard wood forest trees 

 on the mountain sides have been enlarged during the past year, and in a few years it 

 will be demonstrated whether such valuable eastern hard woods as the black walnut, 

 cherry, hickory, oak, elm, ash and maple can be grown here to advantage. With all its 

 wealth of timber, British Columbia has very little hard wood, and the successful cultiva- 

 tion of these valuable eastern trees in that province would no doubt eventually prove a 

 great boon. The unusual spring floods which did so much injury to the crops in the 

 lower lands in the valley of the Fraser did not reach the Experimental Farm. The 

 grain and hay had given good returns, and the root crops promised well. The arrange- 

 ments for supplying the barn and dwelling with spring water from the mountain were 

 nearly completed, a considerable area of new land had been cleared and broken up, and 

 the general advancement made in all departments was most creditable, showing that 

 the energy and push which the efficient superintendent has shown from the first has not 

 abated. 



While on the coast a visit was paid to the Chilliwack and Sumas districts on the 

 south side of the river, where the effects of the spring flood were more severely felt. 

 On the lower lands which had been covered with water for several weeks the submerged 

 grain crops had been destroyed, but as soon as possible after the waters had subsided, 

 many of the fields were resown, but the season was too far advanced to admit of the 

 ripening of the grain. At the time of my visit it was in head and was being cut and 

 cured for fodder. 



In the orchards which had been flooded a large proportion of the cherry trees had 

 been killed. It was also observed that many of the trees in the young plantations of 

 plums, pears and apples which had been overflowed, were dead, but in most instances 



o 



