1008 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



allowed of growing the plants under shelter; but in a normal year the value of manure, 

 chemical fertilizers, and sprinklings with nitrate of soda or other fertilizing material, 

 was not apparent. 



Moreover, it is in approaching natural conditions as nearly as possible that we can 

 maintain the vigour and vitality of the plant; it is under these conditions that the 

 plant will thrive, which is in itself one of the surest methods of selection, and it is 

 also, in our opinion, the surest means of rendering it resistant to all the diseases, fun- 

 gous and otherwise, to which the tobacco plant in the hotbed is subject. 



Outside of the beds of Brazil and Cuban, which showed an evident tendency to 

 grow spindling, all the beds produced plants which were- healthy, vigorous, and with a 

 good root system. There was not the least trace of disease or feebleness, the plants 

 were not even yellowed, and it was not necessary to choose the plants for planting out, 

 but they were taken as they came. The plantations on the Station required 105,000 

 plants and, in addition to that, neighbouring planters, whose beds had failed, were 

 given 52. WK) plants. In some of their beds the plants had be-en attacked by rot, owing 

 to the bed having been too compactly made; among others, the plants were spindling, 

 sickly, and seemed very unlikely to recover if planted out. 



DISEASED SEED BEDS. 



It has been noticed among neighbouring planters that the beds are sometimes 

 attacked by rot. This is due to the bed being too thick, too hot, and too moist. To 

 a certain extent the spread of the malady has been stopped as follows : Take out all 

 the affected plants and even a part of those which appear sound, around the affected 

 area, the affected section of the bed with water containing one-half per cent formalin. 

 In seven beds so treated, six were completely cured. 



, On an average, it was calculated that on each of the first fifteen beds at the 

 Station, 12,000 plants of excellent quality were obtained. The two special, or cold 

 beds, as they may be termed, gave 18,000 and 16,000 plants, respectively. 



PREPARATION OF THE LAND. 



During the development in the seed-beds, the land for the plantation was pre- 

 pared. A field of 8 arpents^ was worked up and manured before winter set in. This 

 field, which had previously been in hay for fourteen years, received 20 tons of manure 

 per arpent, after which the land was ploughed 7 inches deep. Another field of five 

 arpents had been fall-ploughed only. We were unable to plough under manure on 

 this area until the spring of 1913, and then only 3 of the 5 arpents were so treated. 

 The whole plantation received a treatment with chemical fertilizer, made up as fol- 

 lows, per arpent: — 



300 pounds sulphate of ammonia. 

 200 pounds sulphate of potassium. 

 148 pounds superphosphate. 



This may be regarded as a heavy application, but it should be remembered that 

 ■while the soil on the Farnham Station has remarkable physical qualities, it was in a 

 deplorable state as regards fertility. 



On May 23, the land was ready for planting. It had received two harrowingfs 

 with the double disc, two with the ordinary harrow and a cross-harrowing to cover the 

 chemical fertilizer. 



OTHER CROPS. 



Some time previous to this, preparations for sowing had been made. Thirty 

 arpents were ploughed, harrowed, rolled, and sown to oats and clover at the rate of 

 2 bushels of the former and 15 pounds of the latter per arpent. Germination wa.s 



» An arpent contains 36,806-42 square feet; an acre, 43.560 square feet. One arpent = . 8,449 

 acres; on« acre — 1.1803 arpenta. 



Farnham. 



