7-8 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. It A. 1908 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



REPORT OF THOMAS A. SIIARPE, SUPERINTENDENT. 



Agassiz, B.C., March 30, 1907. 

 To Dr. Wm. Saunders, C.M.G., 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



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

 Experimental Farm at Agassiz during the year 1906. 



This year has been, on the whole, a fairly good one for most farm crops. The 

 first three months of the year were very mild and pleasant, the lowest temperature in 

 January being six degrees of frost on the 20th, with a rainfall of four and a quarter 

 inches, and twenty-one inches of snow; this, however, did not all come in one storm 

 and did not lie long and no drifts formed. February was equally mild and pleasant, 

 the lowest temperature showing three degrees of frost on the 9th. Rainfall for the 

 month nearly four and three quarter inches, and no snow. March was, on the whole, 

 cooler, with a lighter rainfall and a little sharper frost than either January or Febru- 

 ary, the lowest temperature being nine degrees of frost on the 13th and a rainfall for 

 the month of very little over two inches and no snow. Snowdrops, Narcissus and 

 Il^-acinths bloomed freely in the open garden from the first of the month, and 

 Apricot aiid Japanese plum trees bloomed in the third week. Grass made a strong 

 growth during the month and clover was sis inches high by the end of ilarch. April 

 was mostly fair and clear, but the nights were cool and there were several sharp frosts, 

 30 degrees being the lowest on the 12th. The prevailing winds were north and north- 

 west, and cold, vegetation not combing forward as rapidly as promised in the last few 

 days of ^farch, and the cold winds with showers and light frosts were very injurions 

 to early blooming fruit trees and plants, a light frost with a good many cool rain 

 showers in May, injured the fruit crop, but the rains were helpful to the hay and 

 grass crops. The showery weather with considerable windy weather in April and May 

 rendered spraying very difficult and frequently made the work inefF-'etive. June was 

 very favourable for the growth of most grain and root crops except corn, which did 

 not grow well until the end of the month, owing to the rain and cool winds. There 

 was rain on nineteen days and a cool breeze almost continuously, v^-hich prevented the 

 corn from making, much progress. July was a comparatively dry and warm month, 

 the rainfall being only a little over 2:^ inches as compared with nearly 7J inches for 

 May and 6i inches in June. The frequent showers in June rei^dered the curing of 

 the first crop of clover almost impossible and it certainly was not practicable to make 

 a really good hay of it, and as it could be made into a very fine quality of ensilage, 

 all of the first crop was put into the silo. 



The weather during August was dry and warm, the rainfall being only a little 

 over one inch, and corn grew finely nnd the clear days of bright sunshine ripened the 

 plum.s with very little rot, and enabled farmers to harvest the grain and second crop 

 of clover in fine condition. September was rather showery, the rainfall was over six 

 and a quarter inches, and the damp weather was favourable for root crops ai^d late 



rrass. 



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