EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



EEPOET OF THOMAS A. SHAEPE, SUPEETNTENDENT. 



Agassiz, B.C., Slst December, 1892. 



To Wm. Saunders, Esq., 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith my report for 1891, being the third 

 annual report of the work done on the experimental farm at Agassiz. 



The weather during January was very mild and rainy, but in February it turned 

 colder, and there were sharp frosts at night with bright sunshine during the day. 

 The previous rains had left the land very wet, and the freezing and thawing heaved 

 the small fruits, strawberries, currants, raspberries, &c,, out of the ground, and 

 caused the loss of quite a number of those which were newly planted, but did not 

 injure anything that had been planted the spring previous. 



The spring did not open quite so early this year as in 1890. In that year we 

 began seeding on 3rd April ; this year the first grain was sown 8th April. The 

 season was cold and wet during April and the first half of May, and in consequence 

 the early sown-grain did not make much progress during that time, showing less 

 diffeience in time of heading and ripening than is usually the case where there is so 

 much difference in the time of sowing. 



About 25 acres of new land has been grubbed and ploughed this summer, and 

 8 acres of the old land manured and summer fallowed and sown with fall wheat, and 

 will be seeded to timothy and clover next spring. 



About 5 acres of new land has also been summer fallowed, having been 

 ploughed several times and harrowed frequently with the disc and drag harrows, to 

 see what effect this treatment will have in exterminating the ferns, and it is to be 

 hoped that there will be but little trouble with this weed in that piece of ground in 

 future. 



A new fence has been put up on the west side of the farm and about three- 

 quarters of a mile on the rft)rth and south sides is levelled and graded, and the fence 

 will be built before spring. 



The total area of land now broken up and readj"- for crop on the experimental 

 farm is 105 acres, and may be summarized as follows : — 



Acres. 



Planted in orchard 26 



Under crop in 1891 51 



Summer fallow 13 



New land broken up during summer of 1891 15 



Total 105 



