4-5 EDWARD VII. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



A. 1905 



REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 



(W. S. Blair.) 



To Dr. Wm. Saunders, 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Nappan, N.S., December 1, 1904. 



Si 



-iR, — I have the honour to submit herewith a report of some of the work done in 

 the horticultural department of the Experimental Farm for the maritime provinces 

 during the year 1904. 



The winter of 1903-4 was a severe one, and the temperature was not so variable as 

 usual. The fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs, however, came through the w'inter 

 in excellent condition and did not suffer more from winter injury than usual. 



The spring was later at the start than usual, but toward the last of May favourable 

 warm weather forced along vegetation, and by the middle of June the season was as 

 far advanced as it generally is at that date. 



The mean average temperature for May was 4° warmer than the average for the 

 past four years. June was warmer than the same month in 1903 by over 2°. July was 

 also much warmer than usual, being about 5° in the mean average above the same month 

 in 1903. The balance of the season averaged about the same as usual. The following 

 table gives the mean average temperature for the months of May, June, July, August 

 and September, as compared with the same months during the past four years : — 



Month. 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



1904. 



51-7 

 55-9 

 670 

 61-5 

 53 G 



Mean Temperature at Nappan. 



1903. 



47 

 53 

 62 

 59 

 57 



1902. 



47 

 54 

 61 

 63 

 57 



1901. 



48 

 59 

 65 

 65 

 58 



1 



•3 

 •2 



3 

 ■4 



1900. 



46 

 57 

 64 

 62 

 53 



Rainfall. 



1904. 



In. 

 1 76 



1 74 



215 



3 51 



4 52 



1903. 



In. 

 0-G8 



2-29 



2 07 

 2-40 



3 63 



The season was exceptionally favourable for plants that require a fair amount of 

 heat, such as tomatoes, squash and beans, all of which ripened up better than usual. 

 This summer again was too dry for most farm crops, and many of the garden crops 

 suffered greatly; especially was this the case with annual flowering plants. Never be- 

 fore has the lawn appeared so burnt and dried up as it was this summer. Where fruit 

 trees were kept in a good state of cultivation they suffered little for want of moisture; 

 but, generally speaking, the fruit was smaller than it would probably have been had the 

 moisture conditions been more favourable. This was especially apparent in uncultivated 

 orchards. 



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