9-10 EDWARD VII. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



A. 1910 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR CENTRAL 



ALBERTA. 



Experimental Farm, Lacombe, Alta., March 31, 1909. 



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



Director, Dominion Experimental Earms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sm, — I have the honour to submit to you my second annual report covering the 

 operations of the Experimental Farm for Central Alberta, at Lacombe, for the year 

 1908. 



The winter of 1907-8 was mild and was followed by an early spring. The early 

 part of the season was particularly favourable, seeding operations commencing three 

 weeks earlier than in 1907. Spring work continued without interruption from bad 

 weather until finished on April 29. Growth was rapid and uniform, very large heads 

 of all grains being produced, but cool weather in August delayed the maturing of the 

 grain, and late crops of wheat were injured by frost. The quality of the grain is this 

 year much superior to 1907, excellent samples of wheat, oats and barley being produced. 



Fruit trees matured their season's growth better than in 1907, and the majority 

 of the trees and shrubs made good growth during the year. 



Though sufficient frost came early in November to close the land to the plough, 

 fall work generally was further advanced than in 1907, owing to the fact that harvest 

 operations were conducted with greater facility, leaving farmers free to direct their 

 energies toward fall work. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH WINTER WHEAT. 



All plots in the variety tests of winter wheat were on black clay loam on brome 

 sod from which a hay crop was taken in 1907. After the hay was harvested, the land 

 was ploughed and well cultivated at intervals for about three weeks, and seeded to 

 winter wheat on August 10 and 11. The season of 1907 was unusually wet during 

 July and August, hence it was impossible to bring the brome grass as thoroughly 

 under subjection as in a nonnal season. The consequence was that the brome persisted 

 in growing, which retarded the growth of the wheat and reduced the yields. 



All plots were one-sixtieth of an acre. 



Fall Wheat — Test of Varieties. 





Name of Variety. 



lIKarkov 



2 Turkey Red 



3 Reliable 



4 Red Velvet Chaff 



5 Early Windsor 



6 Red Chief 



7 Abundance 



8 Dawson's Golden Chaff. 

 9|Prosperity 



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