S GEORGE V. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



A. 1915 



REPORT FROM THE TOBACCO DIVISION. 



The Director, 



Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Ottawa, March 31, 1914. 



Sir, — I have the honour to transmit herewith the report of the work carried on 

 by the Tobacco Division for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1914. 



In addition to n\y own report as Chief of the Division, which deals more especially 

 with the work at Ottawa, there will be found herein reports from Mr. O. Chevalier, 

 ill charge of th-e Tobacco Stations at St. Jacques I'Achigan and Farnham, Que., 

 and from Mr. W. A. Barnet, in charge of the Tobacco Station at Harrow, Ont. 



The work of the Tobacco Division, in addition to the spreading of information, 

 ^\•llicll is carried on principally by correspondence from headquarters at Ottawa, con- 

 sists in the study of those varieties of tobacco now grown in Canada or considered 

 worthy of trial here, along the lines of their suitability to our climatic conditions and 

 to the needs of the Canadian manufacturer. 



This general programme involves the study of all the phases of tobacco culture 

 from the sowing of the seed to the delivery of the product to commerce. One has, 

 therefore, to face in turn all the problems relative to the preparation of the soil, the 

 making of the seed-beds, and preparation of the mould, the setting out and care of 

 plants, the various modes of harvesting and curing and lastly the phase, properly 

 speaking an industrial one, of fermentation and preparation for market. 



The experiments carried on under each of the heads named above render the work 

 most valuable to the tobacco grower. For example, the seed is sown in beds prepared 

 after different methods; in the plantations, the characters peculiar to each variety, 

 such as development, form, earliness, best height of topping, disease-resisting power, 

 yield, etc., are studied; the most promising plants are selected with a view to the pro- 

 duction of choice seed. Chemical fertilizers are used with a view to ascertaining the 

 best formula to use and the best quantity to apply, combined with barnyard manure, 

 to secure the largest net return. Agaiii, the study of practical means to shorten the 

 period of curing and to lessen the cost of cultivation is a most interesting question in 

 a country like Canada where labour, at certain times of the year, is scarce and high 

 and where, especially in the province of Quebec, severe early frosts occur. 



As a whole, the season of 1913, like that of 1912, was not favourable for tobacco 

 growing in Canada. 



The cold weather prevailing during the greater part of June and the prolonged 

 drought following, retarded growth considerably and lessened the weight of crop 

 noticeably. In Quebec, the losses were especially felt in the northerly counties of 

 L'Assomption, Joliette. Montcalm, etc. The counties about St. Cesaire were less aflFected 

 by the drought, but suffered from the cold weather of June. In addition, a compara- 

 tively early frost (September 1.5) touched some plantations and destroyed the plants 

 reserved for seed at the Farnham Station. 



In Ontario, the same weather conditions prevailed, retarding growth and harvest. 

 Still wOTse, a hailstorm on August 3- struck one of the most important tobacco-grow- 

 ing districts (Colchester) at a moment when many plantations were already topped. 

 The damage was so great that in many cases the crop was practically destroyed. 



995 



