60 



and ornamental trees and shrubs. The preliminary lists which Mr. Bedford has pre- 

 pared of the hardy, half hardy and tender sorts, as a guide to settlers who desire to 

 ornament their homes or provide wind-breaks for their dwellings and out-buildings, 

 are deserving of careful perusal by all who take an interest in this subject. 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, INDIAN HEAD. N.W.T. 



The report of the experimental work carried on at the farm for the North- 

 West Territories contains much that will be ut^eful to the settlers who are farming 

 in that part of the country. There are so many variations in climate on those vast 

 plains that the results of tests made in eastern Assiniboia cannot always be repeated 

 to the same advantage in Saskatchewan or Alberta, while other classes of experi- 

 ments may be carried on with greater success. Nevertheless, much of the more 

 important work which is being done at Indian Head under the superintendence of 

 Mr. A. Mackay may be followed with advantage by the farmers in most parts of the 

 Territories. 



Much of the experimental work with grain which has been referred to when 

 speaking of the farm at Brandon is being conducted on very similar lines at Indian 

 Head. All the more promising varieties of cereals are being tested here, also the 

 ditferent systems of treatment and methods of cultivation, with the view of ascertain- 

 ing what sorts of grain and what plan of procedure promises the best results. 



In addition to what has been referred to, experiments have been made in sowing 

 wheat at different depths in the soil, to ascertain the results of sowing different 

 grades of frozen wheat as seed, comparing the returns from grain grown on land 

 which has been fall ploughed with those from summer fallow, also the results of 

 sowing after roots as against summer fallow. Smudges have also been tried as a 

 protective measure against autumn frosts, and evidence submitted which shows that 

 when a sudden drop in temperature of 8 or 9 degrees of frost takes place, as was the 

 case at Indian Head, smudges are of no avail. Whether they will prove useful or 

 not when the frosts are less severe has not yet been fully determined. 



One of the most important series of experiments conducted at Indian Head 

 during the past year is that with smutted grain. The " bunt" smut has been a very 

 serious pest for many years past and has been more prevalent than usual during 

 1891, The wheat grown by many fiarmers which would otherwise have realized the 

 best prices has, from this cause, been much depreciated in value, and in some 

 instances become quite unsaleable. The total annual loss to the farming community 

 in the North- West from smut is immense, and would be difficult to estimate, Mr. 

 Mackay selected for his test one of the worst samples of smutty wheat to be found, 

 and in sowing this untreated, about one-half of the crop consisted of smutted ears. 

 By the use of blue stone (sulphate of copper) dissolved in water and applied to the 

 grain in the proportion of one pound of the chemical to ten bushels of seed, the 

 proportion of smutted heads was reduced to less than 15 per cent, and by using the 

 same quantity in the treatment of five bushels the proportion was reduced to less 

 than one per cent. Eesults very similar to these were obtained last year by Mr, 

 Bedford at the Brandon experimental farm, and this disease may now be regarded 

 as one which the farmer can himself control by taking the precautions referred to. 

 The fact that smutty ears often occur in grain grown from seed believed to be 

 quite free from smut would indicate that smut spores in the soil may attack the 

 grain and bring on the disease. Seed treated with the sulphate of copper would in 

 all probability be able to resist attack in this direction also. As no farmer would 

 think of sowing seed so very smutty as that which was used in the experiment 

 referred to, it is probable that the use of one pound of the sulphate of copper to ten 

 bushels of seed grain would be sufficient to ensure almost entire freedom from this 

 trouble. 



Indian corn has not been found so satisfactory a crop at Indian Head as at 

 Brandon ; it has not attained the same weight of growth or degi-ee of advancement. 

 Excellent results have, however, been obtained by growing different mixtures of 



