REPORT OF TEE DIRECTOR 65 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Horticulture. — A large number of varieties of tlie different kinds ot vegetables 

 are being tested each soascni and as soon as they have been in the iKst for live 

 years, the five-year average will be published. 



Many sorts of perennial flowers prove hardy in the west. They possibly 

 require less attention than any other flower and give a large bloom in the early 

 season. They also give a magnificent bloom during August and part of Seiitcniber. 



Annual flowers are planted in smaller beds and among triese asters flowered 

 profusely. 



Some of the old orchards and hedges were cut out last season and the land 

 prepared for lawns. These were sown in early July and a good stand of grass 

 secured. The lawn grass was a mixture of Kentucky blue grass and White Dutch 

 clover. 



Besides the trees on the avenues and windbreaks, a comparatively huge 

 arboretum is maintained. Many of the plants being tried out are proving hardy 

 while a few are evidently too tender for conditions in the West. Of the trees that 

 are giving best results, the Manitoba maple and Green ash are proving most satis- 

 factory. Of the conifers some of the spruce and Scotch pine seem to be quite hardy. 

 Among the flowering shrubs the caragana and lilac both produce an abundance of 

 bloom early in tho spring. In the orchards the crabs and hybrids gave a profusion 

 of bloom and a heavy crop. These are proving perfectly hardy. Last year a ship- 

 ment of two-year-old seedlings of those standard sorts proving to be hardy at 

 Dunstan, Man., were received. Nearly all these lived through the winter. 



A number of selected 'and hybrid sorts of plums were received from the South 

 Dakota Agricultural College. These were planted and the Assiniboia, a selection 

 of native plum, has proven most satisfactory. 



A large number of the small fruits can be grown. Of these, the raspberry and 

 currant seem most hardy. 



Field Ilushcondry. — Oiie of the most important lines of work under this head is 

 the rotation tests. In this experiment, the object is not only to note the effect of 

 each rotation on the fertility of the soil but also to find the cost of. production of the 

 various crops in each. Tlie rotation that seems best suited to a mixed-farming 

 district is one which includes: First year, summer-fallow; second year, wheat; third 

 year, wheat; fourth year, oats seeded down; fifth year, hay; sixth year, pasture. 



A large portion of the Farm is divided into small plots for the purpose of 

 studying different methods of cultivation and crop management. Such que-tions 

 as different systems of summer-fallowing, treating stubble, depth of ploughing, 

 methods of harrowing, etc., are being studied. 



Live Stock. — Until recently, horses were kept on the Farm for work only. The 

 policy, however, is now changed and a start has been made to establish a stud of 

 breeding mares. 



At this Farm only Shorthorn cattle are kept. The herd has been handled until 

 recently as a beef herd but as the demand of our farmers is for a dual-purpose cow 

 the poor milkers are being culled out and a dual-purpose herd thus developed. 

 With this end in view, a bull from a good milking strain was secured last fall. 

 In addition to this work, steers are fattened on the Farm each winter. Last season 

 twenty-erght steers were fed. 



Shropshire sheep are kept on the Farm for the purpose of supplying breeding 

 stock to farmers in th<> district, also to produce stock on which to calculate the co^t 

 of producing sheep in tlie West. In conjunction with this work, a flock of rnnge 

 ewes were bought some years ago and crossed with a pure-bred Shropshire ram. 

 the idea being to see what improvement could be made in the mutton and wool 

 qualities of range stock by the use of pure-bred toj) crosses. In the winter one 

 hundred lambs were used in a feeding experiment. These were bought in the fall 

 at 6i cents a pound. They were divided into four lots of twenty-five each and fed 



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