4-5 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 A. 1905 



REPORT OF THE HORTICULTIIRIST. 



OV. T. Macoun.) 



December 1, 1904. 

 Dr. Wii. Saunders, 



Director, Doniinion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to subuiit herewith tlie eighteenth annual report of this 

 division. 



In the following pages will be found the resr.Us of some of the mo.-t iuiport.nit 

 experiments conducted during the past year, and information regarding other work 

 done. 



CIIARACTEK OF SKASOX. 



The winter of 1903-4 was the most severe winter that has been experieuce<.l in 

 Ottawa for many years, and the past summer has been one of the coolest summers. 

 The frost last winter played great liavoc in the orchards of Ontario and Quebec, many 

 fruit trees being killed which had never been previously injured, and in the Essex 

 district the peach trees were nearly all destroyed. 



Winter set in on Xovember 16, 1903, and there was sufficient snow for sleighing by 

 Xovember 24, and on the 26th of that month the temperature fell to zero. December, 

 January and February were all very cold months, the temperature only rising above the 

 freezing point three times in December and twice in February, and then only for a 

 short time, there being no real thaw. In January it never thawed. During the winter 

 the temperature fell below zero 58 times, and lower than 20° F. below zero 15 times. In 

 the coldest spell, which lasted from December 26 to January 6, the minimum temper- 

 ature ranged from 4 to 30 degrees F. below zero for twelve con>e:-utive days, and on i'> 

 of the 12 days it was between 20° and 30° F. below zero. The lowest temperature re- 

 corded during the winter was 30*2° F. below zero on January 5. This continuous., 

 dry, cold weather was very hard on fruit trees and a large number were 'killed. Toc- 

 tuuo.tely, there was a good covering of snow all winter and Mttle, if any frost in the 

 ground, so that vegetation below the snow line was practically uninjured. Tlie snow 

 v.ns at its greatest depth on March 21st., when there were about four feet on tlie level. 

 There was a thaw on March 22, and by April 1, .sleighing was practically gone, l^y 

 April 11. the snow was out of the orchards and flu- soil in most of the apple and plmn 

 orchards was in condition for ploughing at once- The indic:)tions were that the injury 

 from mice would have been great if the trees had imt l)oen protected, as a few seedling 

 trees not protected were badly injured. April wa.s a very cool month, with nuich cloudy 

 weather, the highest temperature recorded being 66° F. on tlve 24th. On the 20tli. therc 

 was a heavy fall of snow and good .sleighing for cutter^. The early part of iMay wn< 

 quite warm aiul owing to the rapid development of ihe leaves the planting season wac 

 much shorter than usual, but it wa« a fine month for sowing seeds. The highest tem- 

 p.eratnre in May was on the 0th., when the thermometer registered S5° F. There 

 were no frosts in May. and in fact none since April 23. Jmie was a much cooler 

 month than usual. The highest temperature was on the 25th. when it was 87'5° F. 

 There was one warm week in Julj', but the month on the whole was cool and cloudy, 

 and esi>ecially cool at nights. The highest temperature during the month was 95° F. on 



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