1006 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v.. A. 1915 



EXPERIMENTAL TOBACCO STATIONS AT 

 ST. JACQUES L'ACHIGAN, QUE. 



FARNHAM, 



REPORT OF THE MANAGER, 0. CHEVALIER, I.N.A. 



The 1913 tpbacco crop was perhaps the best obtained in the province of Quebec 

 for the last six years. This was especially the case in the Yamaska valley. The light 

 snowfall of the winter of 1912-13 and the fairly early spring made it possible to pre- 

 pare the land for crop very early. Unfortunately, the month of June was compara- 

 tively cold (for five days the temperature ranged between 48° and 60°) and, as a 

 result, growth was delayed which in turn made the harvest much later than in a nor- 

 mal year. By an unfortunate coincidence, autumn frosts occurred much earlier than 

 usual, and on September 8 a sharp fall in temperature to a minimum of 25° F. caused 

 serious damage in many plantations. In the northern counties, the drought of July 

 affected the yields somewhat but -the damage from frost was not so severe as in the 

 southern counties. 



FARNHAM TOBACCO STATION. 



SOWIKG. 



The varieties sown at Farnham were as follows: For binders among 

 others, the Comstock, Havana Seed Leaf, Big Ohio x Sumatra, and Yamaska which, 

 it must be remembered, is a hybrid of Comstock x Sumatra. Among the '" fillers " 

 grown were the Cuban and two varieties of Brazil, the St. Felix and Las Almas. 



All the seed-beds, measuring 15 feet by 5 feet each, were treated in the same way. 

 Mould of a suitable richness had been prepared the previous autumn and cleared of 

 weed seeds. The beds were made without manure or chemical fertilizers ; a bed of 

 tobacco stems alone formed the foundation, in short the bed was of the type which it 

 has been agreed to call the semi-hot. For an experiment, two beds of the simplest 

 character were tried ; they were made of ordinary earth simply, well sifted and placed 

 in the frames without manure, chemical fertilizer or tobacco stems. These gave results 

 at least as good as did the other beds. 



When prepared, on April 14, all the beds were subjected to the influence of the 

 sun for four days, and were sown on April 17 and 18 at the rate of one-seventh of an 

 otmee of seed for 100 square feet of bed, the grain being slightly swelled. 



The beds, twenty in number, each 15 by 5 feet, were divided as follows: — 



Bed No. 



Variety . 



20, 



Comstock, 



Havana Seed Leaf, . 



Yamaska 



Biff Ohio X Sumatra 



Cuban 



St. P'elix 



Lass Almas 



Carelle 



( Erbasanta 



1 Makborka 



rr.igOhio 



< Comstock 



^Sumatra 



No. of Beds. 



3 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 3 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 i 

 i 



