REPORT OF MR. JAMES MURRAY 289 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



NURSE CROPS FOR CLOVERS. 



In last year's report reference was made to several trials that were made with 

 different nurse crops for clovers and grasses. Red clover, alsike, timothy, rye 

 grass, and a mixture of timothy, red clover and alsike, were each sown with oats, 

 barley and spring rye as nurse crops. Each of these was also sown without a nurse 

 crop. The crops of grain were all heavy and badly lodged, but all grasses and clovers 

 made a good start, although not nearly so strong a growth as where no nurse crop was 

 used. The th^-ee nurse crops gave results in the following order: (1) oats, (2) spring 

 ^JG, (3) barley. The oat crop was the heaviest of the three, but not only was the 

 stand of grasses and clovers better with it at the close of the season than with the 

 others, but they stood the winter better and came out stronger in the spring and 

 produced a heavier crop of hay. The timothy, rye grass, and red clover came 

 through the winter in good condition, and from each a good crop was cut. The 

 alsike was almost completely killed out, and the mixture of timothy, red clover and 

 alsike was also badly winter-killed. These two were, therefore, ploughed up. 



Twelve acres of oats were seeded down in 1908 to a mixture of eight pounds of 

 red clover and four of timothy, and a splendid stand was the result. The grass and 

 clover in this instance were sown with the grass seed attachment to the grain drill. 



CLOVER SEED. 



With some crops it is a considerable advantage, in growing them in climates to 

 which they are not native, to have the seed produced under conditions as nearly alike 

 as possible to those where the crop is to be grown. This is notably true of corn, 

 of various kinds of trees and shrubs, and of some kinds of vegetables. The same is 

 probably true of such legumes as red clover, alsike and alfalfa, which have been 

 grown with varying success in Manitoba for some years. An effort was, therefore, 

 made last year to mature seed of red clover and alsike, and with good success. About 

 half an acre of each of these clovers sown in the spring of 1907 was allowed to ripen, 

 and about fifty pounds of each kind of seed was secured. The clovers were threshed 

 with a small threshing machine, the concaves being set as close as possible. The yield 

 is low, but doubtless much of the seed was lost in threshing. The seed is of good 

 quality and will be sown in the spring. 



CATTLE. 



There are two breeds of cattle represented in the herd now on this farm, 

 viz. : Shorthorn and Ayrshire. There are besides a number of grade cattle and steers. 

 These cattle are kept mainly for breeding and feeding work of an experimental 

 character, but a few breeding animals are sold from time to time. 



The cattle on hand at present are: — 



Shorthorns, two bulls and eight females. 



Ayrshires, two bulls and three females. 



Grades, eight Shorthorn arid three Ayrshire. 



Steers, for experimental feeding, forty head of three-year olds. 



