igg EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2-3 EDWARD VII., A. 1903 



DIVISION OF BOTANY 



FODDER CROPS. 



Fodder crops of all kinds, with the exception of corn, produced heavily during the 

 summer of 1902. The excellent condition of summer pastures and the general freedom 

 throughout Ontario from insect pests, allowed stock to keep in the best condition without 

 trouble. Aftermaths were heavy, and there was some difficulty in saving them. A subject 

 which is always of extreme interest to farmers, particularly in those districts where 

 there are apt to be summer droughts, is the best mixture of grasses and clovers to sow 

 for permanent pastures. A great many experiments have been tried during the last 

 fifteen years with all the diiferent kinds of well known grasses in the market. As a 

 result of all this work one special mixture has been found which, upon a medium soil 

 both as to fertility and moisture, has produced regularly year after year heavy crops of 

 the very first quality of hay or feed. The grasses and clovers which have been included 

 in this mixture will succeed well in all parts of the Dominion, and those farmers and 

 dairymen who have tried this mixture are so well pleased with the results they have 

 obtained, that I again bring it to the notice of stockmen believing that they will find it 

 a very satisfactory mixture to grow for two years' cutting and for two or three years' 

 pasture. This mixture has been known as the Central Experimental Farm Mixture and 

 consists of 



Timothy 6 lbs. 



Meadow Fescue 4 n 



Orchard Grass 2 it 



Kentucky Blue Grass 1 n 



Red Top 1 II 



CLOVERS. 



Alsike 2 lbs. 



Alfalfa 2 m 



Mammoth Red 1 m 



Comn.on Red . . , 1 n 



White Dutch 2 ,i 



22 lbs. of seed. 



Average cost of seed per acre, $2.. 50. 



This mixture was sown at the same time as several others mentioned below in the 

 spring of 1901 and was mowed once during that summer to destroy the weeds. The 

 soil for all of these mixtures, which were sown upon plots of -jL of an acre each, was 

 tolerably even both as to fertility and moisture. Manure had not been applied for three 

 years. The soil may be described as a rich sandy loam, but would be improved by under 

 draining. The plots were visited by a large number of farmers during the summer, and 

 it is gratifying to knovv that many of the large dairymen in the Ottawa district have 

 sown fields with some of the mixtures and expressed themselves as extremely well satis- 

 fied with the results they have obtained. The following table gives the crops of the 

 different mixtures for 1901 and 1902. These are not exactly in accordance with the records 



