REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST 75 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPENDITURE. 



Total cost of field operations (see page 90).$ 3,858 18 

 Total cost of live stock operations (see page 



74) 11,445 59 



Total expenditure $15,303 77 



$15,303 77 



Balance 3,877 Gl 



CROPS. 



I liave to report a fairly successful year for all kinds of crops grown. The season 

 was peculiarly favourable for hay and pasture. It was, however, rather difficult to 

 cure the hay properly hence the quality is not quite so good as might be desired. The 

 kinds of hay grown this year were timothy, mixed timothy and red clover, red clover 

 and alfalfa, red clover and orchard grass. The red clover fields and the field of 

 alfalfa and orchard grass were cut twice. Some of the fields of red clover gave about 

 5^ tons per acre of cured hay in two cuttings. The pasture, a field of 14 acres, was 

 able to carry an equivalent of 30 cows for five months. During about half that period 

 they were being fed some green feed or ensilage as well as a small meal ration, in 

 addition to the pasture. 



The only cereal sown was oats. The variety grown was the Banner. Where soil 

 conditions were favourable the returns were fairly good, some fields going as high as 

 66J- bushels per acre. The quality was for the most part very good. The crop of 

 straw was rather heavy in comparison with the grain, dxie to the rather damp season. 



On the black muck areas weeds came so thickly as to necessitate cutting certain 

 parts while yet green. The mixture of grass, oats and weeds so cut was fed to the 

 cattle. This of course had the effect of lowering average yield per acre as the crop- 

 less areas had to be counted in jwhen estimating average yields per acre. 



The grass, clover and alfalfa seeds sown on the different fields came up well, and 

 did exceedingly well all summer and till late in the fall, making a fine promise for 

 good crops of hay next year. 



Corn was a very heavy crop this year. Some fields yielded an average of over 

 20 tons per acre, although about 20 per cent of the crop was a small growing variety, 

 Longfellow.. 



The varieties grown were Longfellow, Selected Teaming, and Early Mastodon. 

 Longfellow was almost ripe when cut about September 20, Selected Leaming was 

 glazing or in the dough stage, and the Early Mastodon was in about the same condi- 

 tion. The average yield from 40 acres was about 18 tons per acre, large and small 

 varieties all taken together. The quality of the ensilage produced is very excellent, 

 showing a very high percentage of dry matter. One sample taken from silage made 

 from Early Mastodon was found by Mr. Shutt, our chemist, to contain about 26 per 

 cent of dry matter. The silage from the Selected Leaming and Longfellow is no 

 doubt even richer in food content. 



As will be seen by a glance at the reports below the cost to produce the crops was 

 very high per acre. On account of the high yield, however, the cost per ton in the 

 silo is comparatively low. 



Manc'ols, sugar mangels, sugar beets, carrots, swedes, white turnips, yellow Aber- 

 deens, kohl rabi, cabbage, 1,000 headed kale and rape were all grown in greater or 

 lesser quantities. « 



On account of the wet season the cost to grow an acre of roots was very great. 

 The yield was high, however, so the cost of roots per ton was not unusually high. 



Mangels are found to be the most satisfactory root to grow on this land. Sugar 

 mangels, while not yielding as good a crop per acre, supply a peculiarly good feed for 

 cattle and are grown in moderate quantities for that reason. Sugar beets yielded 

 very well this j-ear. They are particularly valuable as feed for swine. Kohl rabi are 

 very welcome to sheep. The 1,000 headed kale is also relished by sheep, and is prob- 

 sbly superior to rape as a fall feed. Cabbages were fed to sheep. 



