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EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2 GEORGE V., A. 1912 



Last year several plants of each strain and variety were left unpruned and the 

 yield of ripe and green fruit from three plants ascertained, to compare with the product 

 of pruned specimens. From the results given below it will be noted that while a con- 

 siderably greater total weight of fruit was obtained from the unpruned plants, the 

 actual weight of ripe fruit was much greater where staking and pruning was practised. 



Tomatoes — Yield from 3 plants. 



WONDERBERRY. 



This fruit was tried again hist year and with very good success. The seed should 

 be sown in a hotbed like tomatoes or cabbage, and the young plants transplanted to the 

 open when danger of frost is over. The plants are of spreading habit of growth and 

 should be planted four feet apart in a row. They are considerably hardier than tomato 

 plants and will continue to grow and ripen fruit after the tomatoes are frozen in the 

 fall. The fruit is not edible in a raw state, but is quite palatable when preserved. 



FEUITS. 



The fruit crop was almost a complete failure last year on account of the fret/uent 

 spring frosts which occurred while the trees were in full bloom. Very few varieties 

 of plums, cross-bred apples or currants escaped,- and when any fruit was produced, it 

 was an extremely light crop. 



The apple orchards which have suffered so severely from blight for several years 

 were practically free from it last year. In all probability there will be littlt. trouble 

 from that cause for some time at least. 



While there was little blight, the loss from winter injury was much greater than 

 usual. The very warm weather in March started the growth and hard frosts followed 

 for six weeks afterwards. These conditions not only killed all the blossoms, but in 

 many cases so seriously injured the trees that they did not recover. These severe condi- 

 tions appeared to be particularly fatal to trees which had fruited the previous year. 

 A tree of Hepka Kislaga, which has wintered without injury for six years and fruited 

 in 1909, was killed completely. Several hundred other trees of different varieties also 

 succumbed. The vacancies thus created in the orchards were filled with a number of 

 cross-bred varieties secured from E. D. Smith, nurseryman, Winona, Ontario. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Ten varieties of strawberries were planted in the spring of 1909, and most of them 

 grew well during the summer, but were not allowed to set any fruit. In the late fall 

 a covering of strawy manure was applied and with this protection they wintered with 

 very little loss. 



