64 VICTORIA SESSIONAL PAPER No. ,16 A. 1901 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



EEPORT OF THOMAS A. SHARPS, SUPERINTENDENT. 



To Dr. Wm. Saunders, 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 



Ottawa. 



Agassiz, B.C., November 30, 1900. 



Sir, — I have the honour herewith to submit my report of the experiments carried 

 on and progress made in the year 1900. 



The winter of 1899 and 1900 was a mild one, the lowest temperature recorded 

 was 9 degrees above zero on February 15. January was mild, the lowest temperature 

 registered being 2Y degrees above zero on the 27th, and the lowest in March was 29 

 degrees above on the l7th, at which date the peach, apricot, nectarine and quite a 

 number of plum trees were in bloom. 



The mild weather in the winter months favoured the early development of the 

 fruit buds with the result that many trees having bloomed in the first half of March, 

 and two or three light frosts occurring during and after the time they were in bloom, 

 the fruit failed to set and the apricot, nectarine and peach crop was almost a complete 

 failure. 



The spring was mild and wet, and favourable for grass and grain crops, on dry 

 or drained land, up to the arrival of swarms of cut-worms in July, the promise of 

 fine crops of grain, roots and potatoes was good. 



The attack of cut-worms was so severe that roots, potatoes and pease suffered very 

 severely, many pieces of pease and potatoes were not worth harvesting. June was 

 very showery, the rainfall for that month being heavy, measuring 10 76-lOOth 

 inches for the whole month, with 21 rainy days, making the curing of clover hay very 

 difficult. Fortunately haying was begun at Agassiz early in the month and we got 

 the benefit of all the fine weather there was in June, and secured a considerable portion 

 of the clover in fine condition and the remainder was put into the silo 



Clover silage is eaten with better relish than corn, does not need to be cut when 

 putting into the silo, and as two and sometimes three crops can be cut each season, 

 it appears to be a better crop in this province for the purpose. Over thirteen tons per 

 acre for the first cutting and nearly nine for the second and over five for the third 

 cutting made a good yield per acre, and it has been saved as easily in the silo here as corn. 



The fruit crop has, on ^he whole, been a poor one. Strawberries were injured by 

 a frost when they were in bloom, and by cold heavy rains when the crop was ripening. 

 Raspberries and blackberries fared better and were good crops. Cherries and plums 

 suffered from the rot ; the almost constant rains in spring having washed off the 

 fungicides almost as soon as they were applied, and in this way preventing effective 

 work. 



HEDGES 



The sample hedges continue to grow and attract attention. The flowering hedges 

 are very beautiful in their season, while the evergreens are handsome all the year. 

 Many letters of inquiry about hedges have been answered and visitors to the farm 

 always look them over carefully, many with a view of selecting one, which they wilT 

 plant on their own grounds. 



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