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



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



REPORT OF THOMAS A. SHARPE, SUPERINTENDENT. 



Agassiz, B.C., November 30, lOOi. 

 To Dr. Wm. Sal'kders, 



Director Dominion Exiieriraental Farms^ 



Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit the following report of the work done and 

 progress made on the Experimental Farm at Agassiz during the year 1904. 



The season ■while in some respects peculiar, has been on the whole, a favourable 

 one. 



The winter was mild, the lowest temperature recorded at this station in January, 

 being 15, with a snowfall for the month of four inches and six and a quarter inches 

 of rain. February, the coldest was 17 degrees of frost and nearly nine inches of rain 

 and thirty-two inches of snow. 



There was less rain and snow in March, the fall being 5J and GJ inches respectively, 

 and the coldest was 30 on two occasions, but the prevailing winds were nor+h-west and 

 nortli-east and there was very little progreiis in vegetation. 



A temperature of 30 with a sharp frost on April 29 caught many of the fruit 

 trees in bloom and a good deal of the bloom fsll off, especially in the C3-'e of the plums. 



The weather turned drier in May, the rainfall for the month being less than 

 2i inches, which is much lower than usual, but the winds were cool and growth very 

 backward. 



June remained cool and although the rainfall was a little heavier than that of 

 May, j'et the grass and clover began to show need of more rain. 



In July the rainfall was light and the weather became warm and growth was 

 rapid, except in clover fields where the second crop had been cut, corn and all sorts 

 of grain made rapid progress. The weather continued bright and warm throughout 

 August, September and October with very light rainfall, very fine for harvest and all 

 other farm work but almost too dry for root crops. 



On the whole, the season, although rather dry during most of the summer has 

 been very favoixrable for farm work, and even root crops, where the soil was kept 

 stirred, have been satisfactory, and the weather for harvesting them exceptionally 

 fine. Up to the present date we have not had a killing frost, roses and sweet pease 

 being still in bloom in the open garden. 



FRUIT CROP. 



The continued wet weather in May and early June damaged the cherry crop and to 

 some extent injured the strawberry crop, but with clearer, warmer weather the larger 

 fruits had a better chance. Plums and pears were light in many orchards owing to the 

 frost in last of April, and the cool weather in April and May, but the sample was fine 

 and there was less rot in the plums than usual. The apples, too, were freer from skin 

 diseases, and owing to the bright sunny autumn were better coloured and finer than 



usual. 



HEDGES. 



Many people are making inquiries as to the best hedges. In evergreens, wherever 

 it will stand the climate the holly makes a very handsome hedge, making a close com- 



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