358 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2-3 EDWARD VJI., A. 1903 



DITCHING. 



The deep cuts spoken of in my last report as having to be boxed are in some places 

 completed and the land levelled up and ploughed. More of this work will be done as 

 opportunity offers and the ditches extended. 



CLEARING. 



About 8 acres of the land cleared last year have been ploughed and if the winter is 

 favourable about 15 acres more will be broken and got in order for a crop before next 

 spring. An additional 10 acres have been cleared of brush and timber. 



LIVE STOCK. 



Since my last report, 4 shorthorn cows, a grade cow and a young bull have been 

 sold, also 1 grade steer sold for beef. The stock now on hand are all pure bred except 

 one <^rade steer. Seven pure bred cows, 1 bull, 3 heifer calves and 4 bull calves con- 

 stitute the herd at present. 



SHEEP. 



Since my last report several young rams have been sold as breeders and a fine ram 

 has been added to our flock to succeed the one imported last year. Eleven ewes, 2 stud 

 rams and 2 ram lambs constitute the stock of Dorset horned sheep at present (see 

 photograph). 



PIGS. 



The stock consists of 1 Berkshire boar, 1 sow and 5 small pigs, also one Tam- 

 worth sow and a large Yorkshire boar recently received from the Central Experimental 

 Farm at Ottawa. 



HORSES. 



The horses having been in service since 1889, are now getting old, and as the area 

 of land under cultivation has become rather large, much of it being in orchard and on 

 that account requiring cultivation, it was thought necessary to increase the number 

 somewhat, especially as one of the h-eaviest horses had become so helpless in his legs 

 that he was unable to work and had to be destroyed. A very good team of young horses 

 has been secured which promise to be very useful. 



BEES. 



The 4 swarms carried into winter last season have increased to 7 strong swarms 

 this year. These are well supplied with honey to carry them through the winter. 



FOWLS. 



There are at present 5 breeds of poultry here. Light Brahmas, White Wyandottes, 

 Silver-laced Wyandottes, Black Minorcas and Barred Plymouth Rocks. The Rocks are 

 perhaps the most generally useful of those, which have been tested. The incubator was 

 only run twice last season and out of 182 fertile eggs, 1 20 strong healthy chicks hatched. 

 The Plymouth rocks are the hardiest and healthiest chicks and grow rapidly. The 

 Minorcas are healthy, but as they feather very quickly they are a little tender until 

 they are about half grown. The Rocks and Minorcas are very satisfactory layers. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH OATS. 



Sixty-four varieties of oats were under trial in 1902. They were all sown on April 

 21, on plots of one-fortieth of an acre each at the rate of 2| bushels per acre. The soil 

 was a sandy loam which has not yet been entirely cleared of the roots of the bracken or 

 fern which is so troublesome as a weed in this country. The fern sta,lks were heavy and 

 juicy and as they could not be separated from the straw in harvesting the weight of the 

 straw which was thus very much increased, is not given, as it would be misleading. The 

 yield of grain has been very satisfactory and there was no rust or smut on any of the 

 plots. 



