250 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



SUNFLOWERS FOR SEED AND ENSILAGB. 



Two acres of Eussian sunflowers were sown at three different times, May 8th, 

 15th and 22nd, and although there were eleven degrees of frost after the plants were 

 up, the frost had no apparent effect on them, the early sown were the finest plants 

 all the season. The sowing was done with a common wheat drill, in rows three feet 

 apart, the seed dropped about one foot apart, and thinned to two feet after the plants 

 were up ; soil clay loam. The field was kept clean with a Planet jr. cultivator during 

 the growing season. The plants averaged 6 feet high when cut, the heads were cut 

 with sickles on September 9th, and run through the cutting box with the fodder 

 corn for ensilage, the seed being nearly ripe at that date. 



After the heads were cut, the stalks were allowed to dry, then cut and piled for 

 fuel. They burn well when dry and give out considerable heat, but last for a very 

 short time. Where wood cannot be obtained they could be utilized for summer fuel, 

 but would not be suitable for winter fires. 



The following table gives full particulars of this crop. 



Variety. 



Mammoth Russian . 



I 



Sown. 



May 8. 



When 



cut 

 for silo. 



Sept. 9. 



Yield of 



heads 

 per acre. 



11,220 lbs. 



When cut 

 for seed. 



Sept. 16. 



Yield of 

 threshed 



seed 

 per acre. 



35 bush . , 



Weight of 



seed 

 per bushel. 



37 lbs.. 



Yield of 



stalks 



per acre. 



4Jj cords . 



Max. dia- 

 meter 

 of heads. 



12 inches. 



SILOS. 



The ensilage made in the fall of 1892 from well matured and wilted North 

 Dakota Flint Corn proved to be excellent, much better than that made from un- 

 wilted corn in 1891 ; only a very small quantity on top and on the west side of the 

 silo was injured. 



This year the yield of fodder corn was light and only one silo was filled, partly 

 with corn and sunflower heads, and the balance with corn and horse beans. The silo 

 is not yet opened for use, but judging from appearance the ensilage promises to be 

 as good as last year. 



Since the silos were built at the Experimental Farm a number of others have 

 been built in different parts of the province, and all appear to give good satisfaction. 



FIELD ROOTS. 



Owing to the light rainfall during the season of growth, all kinds of field roots 

 throughout the central and western parts of the province gave a very unsatisfac- 

 tory yield, the returns on the Experimental Farm were no exception to the rule, the 

 yield being scarcely one-half of an average crop. 



The soil selected for roots was a strong clay loam, thoroughly summer-fallowed 

 the previous year, and all weeds were kept down between the rows by the use of 

 the Planet jr. cultivator. 



The yield per acre has been calculated from the results obtained from three 

 rows of each variety one chain long. 



