256 



EXPERIMENTS WITH SMUDGES. 



Smudges were largely used during the past fall for the prevention of injury by 

 frost, farmerB in some (iintricts forming organizations for this purpose, and in others 

 depending on individual effort. 



Although realizing the difficulty of obtaining reliable results from experiments 

 in this line, it was thought advisable to obtain all the information possible. 



Two nights were spent during the second week in August testing thermometers 

 in and out of smoke, but owing to the wind being toD strong no conclusion could be 

 reached. All the nights of the 20th and 21st August were also spent by me in 

 attending smudges, which were started at sundown, and testing thermometers; and 

 it was thought that there was at least a difference of two degrees between the 

 thermometers in and out of the smoke. It is, however, very difficult to test this 

 matter fully. A diffeience of a few feet in the level of the ground where the two 

 thermometers are placed, a diffei-ence in the current of air passing over either of 

 the instruments (caused by a ravine, cultivated land, &c.), changes in the wind, &c., 

 are all disturbing elements which must be taken into consideration in reaching 

 accurate conclusions. 



It would appear, however, that a small smudge started only a short time before 

 frost has veiy little effect in checking it. 



The beneficial effect of even a small amount of cloud was noticed on the night 

 of the 21st. From 6 p.m. of that night to 1 a.m. on the 22nd the sky was perfectly 

 clear and the thermometer fell from 2 to 4 degrees every hour ; from that time to 4 

 o'clock a fevv clouds appeared and the thermometer remained stationary. At 4 the 

 clouds cleared off and the temperature immediately fell 4 degrees. It would appear 

 from this that a dense smoke kept suspended over the crop from sundown to sunrise 

 shiiuld have an effect somewhat similar to clouds, and prevent the temperature from 

 falling. 



MIXED GRAIN GROWN FOR HAY AND GREEN FODDER. 



Much interest having been shown in the experiments undertaken here during 

 1890 with mixed grain for fodder, the most promising of these mixtures were again 

 tested during the past season, and with gratifying success, the yield in every case 

 being even larger than in 1890. 



The grain was sown on backsetting with a common drill on the 26th April, the 

 oats or barley being first sown, and the pease were afterwards sown between the drills 

 of the first sown gi-ain; this plan gave the roots of each variety of grain room to 

 spread, but when both kinds of grain are sown at the same time the oats or barley 

 geneially ciowds out the pease, greatly reducing the yield. 



Spring vye was also sown at the same time on an adjoining plot, but the yield 

 of fodder from this grain was much lighter than from any of the others. 



Mixed Grain grown for Hay or Green Fodder. 



Varieties. 



Oats Black Tartarian 



Pease Prince Albert . . 



Oats Black Tartarian 



Tares Large English . . 



Barley Danish Chevalier. 



Pease Prince Albert 



Rye 



. Spring , 



Pecks 



per Acre 



Sov.'n. 



8 pecks . 

 4 do . 



do 

 do 



S do 

 4 do 



7 do 



Stage when Cut. 



In early milk. 

 Podded 



In early milk, 

 Podded 



In early milk. 

 Podded 



In early milk. 



Weight, 

 Green. 



Weight, 

 Dry. 



Tons. lbs. Tons. lbs. 

 ' 13 275 4 1,675 



