75S EXPERIJIEyTAL FARM!? 



5 GEORGE v.. A. 1915 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. 



J. A. CLARK, B.S.A., SUPERINTENDENT. 



In 1910, the first season that cereals were experimented with at this Station, the 

 best land on the Farm was chosen. In 1911 the area mentioned was required for a 

 part of the rotation exi^erinients in connection with the Field Husbandry work. The 

 cereal plots were then transferred to what was known as the Chandler & Gay properties, 

 where buildings, barnyard, fruit trees, roadway, and hedge rows had to be removed 

 preparatory to fitting the laud for the purpose intended. The swamp area was also 

 cleared and part of it tile-drained. Mention was made of the lack of uniformity and 

 the unsatisfactory condition of this land due to weeds in former reports. The soil is a 

 nice friable sandy loam, and that it has been greatly improved for the purpose of 

 testing cereal plots was shown by the much greater uniformity of duplicate plots this 

 year over last year. The system of duplicate plots for almost all of the cereal work was 

 commenced in 1912 owing to the unfortunate diversified condition of the land mentioned 

 above, and also in order to get reliable data more quickly. We now get the average of 

 two sowings without waiting two years for it. The land available for test plots was 

 limited, and in order to adopt the duplicate system the number of varieties of the 

 different cereals was considerably reduced. Those eliminated had either given 

 inferior yields in previous tests or were considered of inferior quality by the Dominion 

 Cerealist who had made tests at Ottawa. 



A three-year rotation has been planned for the cereal work as follows : 1st year, 

 roots; 2nd year, grain plots; 3rd year, clover. About 15 tons of barnyard manure are 

 to be ploughed down with the clover sod in the autumn in preparation for roots. 



In the spring of 1913 the third section was given its cleaning up before seeding 

 to cereals. The roots of the couch grass were so numerous that in order to fit the laud 

 for a seed-bed they had to be hauled into piles. After the grain was sown and covered 

 they were applied to the surface with the manure spreader. The extra work required 

 to rid the land of weeds will account in a large measure for the very heavy yields of 

 grain this present season. 



CHAKACTER OF SEASON. 



The winter of 1912-13 was colder than usual here. The ground was exposed to the 

 frost the greater part of the winter. Snow lay on the fields only one month and three 

 days, from February 12 to the middle of March. The first half of February was cold, 

 the thermometer reaching 17-5° below zero for a few hours, and as the ground was 

 bare the frost entered the ground to a great depth. The sudden changes of March which 

 took away almost entirely two feet of snow in a day caused great rushes of water over 

 the fields, cutting great ditches and washouts in places never known to be injured in 

 that way before. April was unusually mild, the temi>erature reaching a maximum of 

 over 78° ; this pushed forward the trees and grass about two weeks ahead of previous 

 years. May was cool and so dull that growth remained almost at a standstill, the crop 

 being sown, even on dry land, a little later than in 1912, which was much later than the 

 average. The weather was ideal for working horses and the ground was well fitted 

 for the crops as soon as it was ready. June was cool throughout, the mean temperature 

 being 3° below normal, which delayed the seeding of heavy or wet land late into the 

 month. The frequent showers and moderate temperatures of July made it a very 

 favourable month for cereal crops. August was also favourable to growth and the 

 maturing of the early grain. This was followed by splendid harvest weather in 



