REPORT OF MR. W. 8. BLAIR 



317 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Variety. 



Bountiful 



Market Wax 



Lightning 



Davis Wax 



Early Warwick 



Low's Champion 



Extra Early Edible Podded. 

 Longfellow 



Yield 

 per Aero. 



Lbs. 



11,6G0 



10,824 



10,692 



10,208 



9,680 



8,008 



7,436 



6,050 



The variety Bountiful is one of the best green pod market beans tested here. The 

 Lightning is a splendid variety, and it is especially rust-resistant, being much more 

 so than the Bountiful. The Davis Wax rusted badly this year, as did the Keeney's 

 Eustless Wax. The early Giant Wax and Best of All both are fine sorts. The Market 

 Wax again proved to be equal to any of the golden podded varieties. Valentine Wax is 

 a very prolific round Golden Pod variety. Longfellow we would not recommend. Low's 

 Champion is a good one. 



TOMATOES. 



Fifty varieties of tomatoes were under test this season. The plants were started 

 in the hot-bed April 1 ; transplanted to strawberry boxes, one plant to a box, April 13. 

 These were planted in the open ground May 12, in rows 4 feet apart, and the plants 

 4 feet apart in the rows. Eight plants of each variety were planted. 



The soil on which these were grown was used last year for cabbage, and was in a 

 fair state of fertility. It was a light loam, rather deficient in humus. Bone meal and 

 complete fertilizer mixed in equal parts was sown at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre broad- 

 cast, and harrowed in before the plants were put out. 



The variety Spark's Earliana still continues to be the best sort for these provinces. 

 Owing to a late spring and early fall frosts the season here for tomatoes is practically 

 limited to 3 months — from June 15 to September 15 — hence only the earliest ripening 

 tomatoes are suitable for profitable planting. Spark's Earliana is the best smooth early 

 variety yet tried. It has good size, and although the fruit is not as regular and smooth 

 as it was when first introduced, yet it is better here in this respect than any of the 

 other early kinds tried. 



A very satisfactory method to follow in order to keep good, smooth stock of any 

 variety is to select seed from the plants that produce regular smooth, early ripening 

 fruit. Some of the most successful growers obtain the bulk of their seed by following 

 this method. 



The variety Tenderloin and Livingston's Globe are two sorts tested this season 

 for the first time. Neither of tJiese, judging from one season's test, are of any value 

 for the maritime provinces. The former is a rough, late sort, and the latter large and 

 smooth, but very late, and quite subject to rot. The variety Dominion Cay, about a 

 week later than Earliana but very prolific, has with us grown very rough fruit. The 

 Chalk's Early Jewel has been under test for 3 years. It is a good, smooth tomato, 

 fully 8 days later than Earliana, andi much more liable to rot We have found that 



