9-10 EDWARD VII. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



A. 1910 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR MANITOBA 



Dr. Wm. Saunders, C.M.G., 



Director of Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Brandon, March 31, 1909. 



Sir, — I have the honour to present herewith the twenty-first annual report of the 

 Experimental Farm for Manitoba at Brandon, giving the results of experinieru:s 

 "undertaken during the past year. 



The winter of 1907-8 in Manitoba, was one of the mildest on record. The weather 

 in the fall continued mild and open until about the first of December, and, although 

 during that month the temperature dropped below zero on several occasions, the 

 weather was particularly pleasant and free from storms. January gave us the only 

 severe weather of the winter, when, for a week, the temperature varied from 18° to 

 46° below zero. The snowfall was usually light, and there was scarcely a continuous 

 ten days of good sleighing all winter. 



Spring opened about the first of April, and, the light snowfall being general 

 throughout the west, there was an absence of floods and the land dried off rapidly. 

 Work on this farm started on April 13, but in some parts of the province it was 

 general neirly a week earlier. Seeding conditions have seldom been more favourable 

 in Mfinitoba than they were in 1908. There was an abundance of moisture to start 

 germination, the soil warmed up immediately, and occasional showers maintained a 

 strong healthy growth. Throughout April and May the crop prospects could not 

 have been brighter, and they continued so in some districts until well into the summer. 

 In other parts, very little rain fell for two months after seeding, and the crop was 

 seriously affected. Throughout Manitoba, the yields of wheat, oats and barley, the 

 principal crops, were well up to the average of recent years. In some of the northern 

 districts considerable damage was done by early frosts, but this was not serious 

 except in limited areas. The first frost to be registered here was on August 14, when 

 two degrees was recorded. There was no perceptible damage done except to corn on 

 low land, and to some of the tenderest garden plants. On August 22, the temperature 

 fell to 29 degrees, but again there was very little damage done. Some of the latest 

 wheat showed a little sign of frost, probably received on this date, but the injury 

 was very slight. After this date the weather got much warmer, and during the first 

 half of September, unusually high temperatures prevailed with no further frost until 

 September 23, when we had nine degrees. By this time all crops were safe from 

 danger. During harvest and the early part of the threshing season, the weather was 

 ideal, and most of the crops were harvested in excellent condition. Even smutty 

 grain was very little tainted, as the grain was in such excellent condition when 

 threshed. 



On the Experimental Farm, harvest started on August 11, three weeks earlier 

 than the year previous. Most crops were not as heavy as in 1907, but were harvested 

 with less expense and were quite satisfactory. The unusually warm weather 

 experienced just as grain was starting to ripen, no doubt reduced the yield considerably 

 and in some cases injured the quality. 



Late fall weather was open and the ground being well supplied with moisture in 

 Manitoba more than the 'usual amount of fall ploughing was done. The year 

 throughout has been a good one for the Manitoba farmer; the yield of grain has been 

 well up to the average, the season was favourable to securing it in good condition, 

 and prices for all classes of grain were highly satisfactory. 



16—18 



