DIVISION OF. HORTICULTURE 487 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Mr. A. J. Logsdail visited the Grimsby district to collect pollen for breeding work 

 in May, 1913, and to do some crosising there. He also attended the meeting of the 

 Ontario Fruit Growers' Association in Toronto in November, 



Mr. M. B. Davis delivered an address at the meeting of the Quebec Pomological 

 Society on December 2 on " Co-operation in Nova Scotia." He attended the annual 

 meeting of the New York State Horticultural Society at Rochester, N.Y., in January, 

 1914, and at that time made a special study of spraying machinery. On February 20 

 he gave an address on " The Outlook for Fruit Growing " at a meeting of the St. 

 Lawrence Valley Fruit Growers' Association at Morrisburg, Ont. He spent several 

 days in the Niagara peninsula in March, 1914, making a special study of the "dehorn- 

 ing " of apple trees. 



NEW GREENHOUSES ERECTED FOR THE HORTICULTURAL DIVISION, 



CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



Four new greenhouses erected for the Horticultural Division at the Central 

 Experimental Farm are neariug completion and are already occupied. They are what 

 is known as the Pierson U-Bar flat-iron curved-eave construction and will give about 

 7,500 square feet under glass. They are heated with hot water from sectional boilers, 

 and consist of a main house 107 feet 6 inches long and 25 feet wide, divided into two 

 by a glass partition, and three. detached houses 12 feet apart on one side of it, each 

 58 feet 6 inches long and 25 feet wide, and each connected with the main house by a 

 glass portico. The main purposes to which these houses will be put are as follows: — 



Five different kinds of benches are being installed which will be tested for relative 

 usefulness and durability. On these and in the solid beds on the ground different 

 methods of culture of flowers, vegetables, and of some fruits will be tried. 



The cross-breeding of flowers, fruits, and vegetables will be carried on during the 

 Avinter months, and selections made from existing varieties or strains, 



A specialty will be made of the testing of florists' novelties and reporting on the 

 same. 



Although tomatoes, radish and lettuce are the winter vegetable crops usually 

 fi-rown, it has been found that other kinds of vegetables succeed well when forced, and 

 experiments will be tried with a variety of crops. 



Experiments will be tried in the forcing of ^strawberries, grapes and other fruits. 

 This winter several hundred pots of strawberries are being forced with the object of 

 learning which succeeds best. Fifty pots of fifteen varieties of £T:iropean grapes are 

 being forced, it being believed that there will be a growing demand for these grapes 

 in Canada, Being in pots the vines do not take up space permanently in the houses, 

 but can be moved about when necessary. In England grapes are successfully forced 

 in this way^ 



A large number of plants are needed for bedding on the ornamental grounds at 

 the Central F^arm, and the greenhouses will be utilized for propagating these. 



Hitherto the glass available has been" so limited that it was not possible to do much 

 experimental work under glass, but with the five houses now available it will be 

 po^iQible to do much more and better work, 



OTHER IMPROVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR. 



Nearly every year the ornamental grounds suffered badly from lack of water, as 

 no adequate supply could be obtained under the conditions which prevailed previous 

 to this year, but in 1913 the large lawn was piped and taps put at suitable places to 

 serve the grass, flower beds and borders. The rose garden was also piped and in future 

 an abundant supply of water is assured, 



Ottawa, 



