liSPORT OF MR. W. S. BLAIR 



311 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



would sliade the ground sufficiently to act as a mulch, and lessen evaporation from, the 

 soil surface, and in this way offset the loss by transpiration. It would appear in this 

 connection, however, that the moisture taken from the ground by the plants was far 

 greater than that conserved by them through the shade afforded by the foliage. The 

 figures given show that this plot was too dry for proper plant development during the 

 greater part of the season. 



It will be seen that in plot No. 6 at no time during the season did the moisture 

 fall below 10 per cent. It will also be noticed' by referring to the above table that plot 

 No. 5 only twice went below 10 per cent. This would seem to show that even in a sea- 

 son as dry as that of 1905, cover crops of crimson clover sown after the middle of July, 

 on soil that has previously been properly cultivated to conseiwe moisture, will not dry 

 out the ground to such an extent as to prevent a proper development of fruit and wood 

 growth. It is apparent that the conditions prevailing in plots Nos. 1, 2 and 3, so far as 

 moisture content is concerned, were not at all favourable for fruit tree development, 

 and consequently the growing of grass or grain crops in the orchard is not advisable 

 if best results are to be obtained. 



The season has been exceptionally dr^^ especially since June. The following table 

 gives the rainfall and the date on which the rain occurred from April 1 to November 

 1. 1905:— 



Eainfall, 1905. 



Total Rainfall for the same period in 1904 and 1903. 



1904... 292 .. 1-76 .. 174 .. 215 



1903... 3-57 .. •eS .. 2-29 .. 207 



351 

 240 



52 

 63 



500 

 5-78 



EXPEEIMENTS TO CONTKOL THE PEA WORM. 



Acting on the advice of Dr. Jas. Fletcher, Entomologist and Botanist of the Do- 

 minion Experimental Earms, Ottawa, some experiments were conducted this season to 

 ascertain whether spraying pea vines and pods with a paris green mixture would prove 

 a satisfactory remedy for the pea worm. 



The strength of mixture used on the early plots was i pound paris green to 40 

 gallons of water, to which one pound of whale oil soap was added so that the mixture 

 would adhere to the plant better. One plot of the variety Heroine was treated later 

 with a stronger solution of paris green and water, | pound paris green to 40 gallons of 



