EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR MANITOBA. 



EEPORT OP S. A. BEDFORD, SUPERINTENDENT. 



Brandon, Man., 3l8t Decembei-, 1891. 

 T<) Wm. Saunders, Esq., 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith my fourth annual report of the 

 work done on the Manitoba Experimental Farm. 



The past year has been a remarkable one from an agricultural standpoint. 

 Spring opened up at about the usual time and by the first week in April seeding 

 was genei-al throughout the province. Thiough April the weather was unusually 

 warm for that month and vegetation made an early and rapid growth, only to he 

 checked by the severe frost of the middle of May, and in some instances where 

 the grain plant was exposed by the spring winds the injury was severe and made 

 re-sowing necessary. During the last thiee weeks of June abundant rain fell, and 

 this month was quite favourable for all kinds of vegetation. The temperature dur- 

 ing July was much below the average; this helped to fill the heads of wheat, but 

 the number of cloudy, cool days encouraged a ra.nk growth of straw and delayed 

 ripening very muth. 



On the 6ih of August a very heavy rain storm, accompanied by wind, passed 

 over the centre and eastern parts of the province. This storm was of unusual 

 severity, and next moi-ning every acre of crop on this farm was perfectly flat. The 

 eifect of the storm was noticeable all through the balance of the season ; the sun 

 and wind being unable to penetrate thiough the lodged and matted grain, ripening 

 was delayed and rust encouraged. The early part of August was warm, but on the 

 21st the wind veered to the north-west and the temperature dropped very suddenly 

 to one below freezing. As the lowest reading of the thermometers on the experi- 

 mental farm only recorded one degree of frost, I think no injury was done at that 

 time, but on the 26th of the same month another drop occurred registering two 

 degrees of frost oh the uplands and seven degrees in the valley, and at this time all 

 the uncut giain was more or less injured according to its stage of ripeness. 



A field of Ladoga growing on the side hill was cut on the 13th of August, thir 

 teen days before severe frost, and was of course uninjured. 



A number of varieties of wheat growing on the upland were also cut before the 

 26th and were also free of injuiy from frost. Although a number of varieties of 

 wheat grown on this farm have been somewhat injured by frost, you will notice 

 that the yield has in all cases been fair and in many instances very large. The same 

 remark might apply to this province generally, for although the injury by frost has 

 been considerable the yield is much better than usual. 



WHEAT. 



In view of the importance of the wheat crop in this province and the general 

 anxiety to obtain an early ripening variety, all plots of this grain were duplicated 

 one set of plots being sown in the valley on strong loamy soil and the other set on 

 higher and lighter land. 



A number of the varieties sown on the upland were badly injured by wind 

 stoi-ms in May; and the returns being inaccurate, are not given. It is worthy of 

 notice that the uninjured plots were saved by a very slight protection of scrub on 

 the south and west; this scrub was only from 6 to 12 feet high, but effectually 



