REPORT OF MR. THOMAS A. 8HARPE. 451 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



very leafy, if sown to suit the conditions of the soil, it soon shades the ground, and if 

 kept clean of weeds up to that period of growth, there is very little trouble from thia 

 source until it is ready to cut. If cut when the bean is just full grown, it makes very 

 rich feed. All were cut October 11. 



Plot 1. — Sown May 1. Drills 21 inches apart. Length of stalks, 28 to 32 inches ; 

 very leafy and with many pods. Weight when cut, 3 tons 360 pounds. 



Plot 2. — Drills 28 inches apart. Sown May 1. Length of stalk, 28 to 34 inches ; 

 fairly well podded. Weight when cut, 3 tons 1,440 pounds. 



Plot 3. — Drills 35 inches apart. Sewn May 1. Length of stalk, 28 to 34 inches ; 

 fairly well podded. Weight when cut, 2 tons 1,540 pounds. 



HORSE BEANS. 



Plot 4 — English Horse Beans. — Planted May 1, in drills 21 inches apart. Height 

 of stalks, 28 to 32 inches. Yield per acre, 1 ton 880 pounds. A poor uneven stand, 

 and the cut-worms injured them, cutting off the foliage and many of the blossoms. 



Plot 5 — Horse Beans. — Drills 28 inches apart. Planted May 1. Height 28 to 36 

 inches. Yield per acre, 1 ton 1,280 pounds. 



Plot 6 — Horse Beans. — Drills 35 inches apart. Planted May 1. Height of stalk, 

 30 to 36 inches. Yield per acre, 1 ton 1,440 pounds. All these horse beans suffered 

 from the cut-worms. 



SORGHUM. 



Early Amber Sugar Cane. — Sown May 29, in drills 28 inches apart. The seed 

 did not germinate, and the land was afterwards sown to mixed grains for fodder. 



Early Orange Sugar Cane. — Sown same date as Early Amber, but like that 

 variety it did not germinate. The land was afterwards ploughed and sown to other 

 crop. 



BROOM CORN. 



Two plots of broom com were sown in drills, one at 21 inches apart in the drill 

 and the other at 28 inches, on June 1. The soil was a warm loam, but the continued 

 rains during June prevented the germination of the seed. Only a few feeble plants 

 came up and the land was afterwards ploughed and sown with other crops. 



PASPALUM DILATATUM. 



A small plot of this grass from Australia was sown May 31 with a nurse crop. 

 It is at this date a fairly thick stand and looks promising 



SAND VETCH. 



A plot of this forage plant was sown May 11, on rich, well prepared loam, 

 drilled in at the rate of 90 pounds of seed per acre. The seed germinated well and the 

 plants made a fair growth, but the stalks are very slender and the leaves small, and 

 when cured it is very light and like moss. The cattle did not care for it either green 

 «r cured. 



Yield per acre, green. 

 Yield per acre, cured , 



16— 29J 



