DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE 693 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. 

 REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, W. H. FAIRFIELD, M.S. 



CHAEACTEK OF SEASON. 



The season has proved itself to be a favourable one for horticultural operations. 

 The' winter of 1912-13 was such that the trees and shrubs came through with slight 

 injury and appeared, with few exceptions, to be in a strong, vigorous condition in the 

 spring. The dry weather during the latter part of May and early June, which was 

 so disastrous to grain crops in the immediate vicinity of Lethbridge, was of benefit 

 rather than otherwise in the horticultural work, in that the mean temperature during 

 this period was higher than it otherwise would have been had we had our usual rainy 

 period at this season. The last frost was on May 12, when 29-2° F. were registered. 

 The first frost in the fall occurred on September 12, when the mercury dropped to 

 32-0°, although previeus to this, slight injury to the more tender foliage could be 

 noticed, more particularly about September 6 when the temperature was 34.1°. 



CULTUEE WITH AND WITHOUT lEEIGATION. 



Although we have two Farms, one irrigated and the other non-irrigated, so far the 

 greater part of the work in horticulture has been carried on under irrigation. We 

 have, however, all of the varieties of apples and currants, red, white, and black, grow- 

 ing on the non-irrigated Farm that are on the irrigated, also some of the varieties of 

 raspberries and plums. Notwithstanding that the results as here given were obtained 

 on irrigated land, unless otherwise specified, they should nevertheless be of interest 

 and value to the dry-land farmer. Although it is a fact that it will not always be 

 possible to get the same yields without irrigation, still they can be approached if care- 

 ful attention is given to cultivation to conserve the moisture. When a garden is not 

 to be irrigated, the plants should be placed at a greater distance apart. In the case 

 of annuals they should be planted on land specially prepared the season before with 

 the view .of having a good supply of moisture in the subsoil. Although the importance 

 of having as much summer-fallowed land prepared as possible for grain crops is now 

 generally realized by most farmers in the drier localities in the southern part of the 

 province, the fact that it is jixst as important to have summer fallow on which to plant 

 the garden has not yet been brought home to the average man. The land on which a 

 garden is to be planted on a dry-land homestead should not only have been carefully 

 summer-fallowed the season previous but should contain a liberal amount of barnyard 

 manure, well incorporated therein. This can best be done by applying well-rotted 

 manure just before it is ploughed for summer-fallow. Manure worked in in this way 

 increases the ability of the soil to retain moisture, besides improving its tilth. Never 

 apply manure on non-irrigated land the same season that the crop is planted. Every 

 dry-land farmter should set aside for the kitchen garden just twice the amount of land 

 that he intends to put in in any season. One-half should be manured as mentioned 

 above. In May or early Jiine it should be ploughed at least 8 inches deep. During 



