DirisWX OF HORTICULTURE 677 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, ROSTHERN, SASK. 

 REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT. W. A. MUNRO, B.A., B.S.A. 



The horticultural work at this Station was vitalized in the season of 1913 by 

 the employment of a qualified gardener, Mr. Wm. Godfrey, of Newcastle, England. 

 Added to this is the advantage of the effectiveness of. windbreaks that have been 

 planted for some time, but until this year were not large enough to be of any service 

 as a protection. Caragana hedges planted ia 1911 are now about 4 feet high, and the 

 currant and raspberry bushes planted the same season are a protection to themselves 

 as well as to the nearby vegetables and strawberries. 



There was not so much moisture from March to August as in the corresponding- 

 period of the previous two seasons, by over 4 inches, and the latter parts of May and 

 June were especially dry. Nevertheless, none of the crops suffered to any great 

 extent and the rain of July and August revived them. 



EVERGREENS. 



Every spring since 1909 we have been receiving evergreens, particularly varieties 

 of spruce and pine, from various nurseries, and only a small percentage have lived. 

 The trees were of various sizes from seedlings 3 inches high to trees 2 feet high. The 

 trouble evidently was because of the difficulty in shipping them such long distances, 

 and at the same time keeping the roots moist. More success was attained by obtaining 

 native black and white spruce in their natural environment north of Duck lake, 2fl 

 miles from the Experimental Station. In 1911, forty-one trees were obtained, forty of 

 which are still alive. In 1912, 157 were similarly obtained and 156 grew. In 1913 

 we secured 116, and present indications are that only two will die. The trees obtained 

 were of height varying from 1 to 7 feet. 



FLOWERS. 



In the autumn of 1912 we potted upw^ards of 300 tulip bulbs and placed them in 

 a dry cool cellar. They were well watered at time of storing and watered at intervals of 

 about two weeks all winter. Two weeks before Christmas holidays we began takimr 

 them up, one or two at a time. After removing a pot from the cellar it was placed 

 in a dark part of the room, and after a few days brought a little nearer a window. In 

 two weeks a bud appeared and in three to five weeks the plant was in full bloom. By 

 bringing' the bulbs up at intervals throughout the winter, there was a constant bloom 

 of tulips in the house from Christmas until Easter. Of upwards of twenty-five vari- 

 ties tried .in this way therfc was not one but came to good bloom. 



A small number of hyacinths and narcissi were treated similarly, with equally good 

 results. 



The border around most of the lawn and including a length of nearly one-quarter 

 of a mile was fir&t completely planted in 1913. The shrubs behind the border are of suf- 

 ficient growth to afford a splendid background, and altogether the setting was good. 

 The flowers of particular value are tulips, Iceland pojipy, pinks, nasturtiums, pansies, 

 and later in the season asters, irises and dahlias. 



