REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 69 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Beds. — Although the spring was not very favourable to the beds, those of the 

 Harrow Station gave, in due time, a large number of seedlings. Of the various beds 

 used every year on this station, the one sheltered by glazed sashes (hot or cold) has, so 

 far, given the best results in earliness and production. It cannot be too highly 

 recommended. 



Setting out. — The seedlings were set out in the beginning of May. The weather 

 was rather cold for the season, and the recovery was a little slow. The cutworms 

 were soon checked by the use of a mixture of bran and Paris green. 



Crop. — The growth of the crop was rather slow, the temperature being much 

 below the average of normal years during the whole of the season, but it did not suffer 

 any checks, at least on the field of Burley, which was harvested on September 21, a 

 rather late date even in Ontario, although frosts are not to be feared at that time of 

 the year. The seed plants had a normal growth, and a large crop of selected seed 

 was secured. 



Some idea of the fertility of the Harrow Station may be gained from a compari- 

 son of the yields obtained in 1912 (1,200 to 1,950 pounds per acre for the Burley 

 variety) and the average yields obtained during the same year by the growers of 

 Burley in Ontario, which hardly exceeded 1,000 pounds per acre. 



It should be stated that the season was not very favourable, but it is in a poor 

 season that the benefits of intensive cultivation show to the best advantage. The soil 

 is in such a state of fertility that it may produce an almost normal crop so long as 

 atmospheric conditions are not absolutely contrary. 



Yellow Tobacco. — The yellow tobacco was the only one that really suffered from 

 the poor weather conditions. The yield in weight was satisfactory, but the colour 

 might have been brighter. However, a bright colour is not to be expected unless the 

 season is particularly favourable (a warm and comparatively dry season from trans- 

 planting to ripening). It cannot be hoped for in a cold and damp year, when the 

 tobacco grows slowly and keeps on growing when it should be ripening. The Tobacco 

 Division will test varieties of yellow tobacco which have given good results in tem- 

 perate climates under conditions nearly similar to those that are found during a part 

 of the year in that district of southern Ontario where the industry of yellow tobacco 

 has been endeavouring for some time to get a foothold. 



DISTRIBUTION OF SEED. 



The samples of tobacco seed distributed in the spring of each year contain about 

 one-quarter of an ounce of seed, selected and tested. The total crop of seed for all 

 Stations was about 80 pounds, representing a total value of about $500. Over 3,600 

 samples were distributed during the spring of 1913. In a number of cases, the 

 requests for samples were accompanied by a request for information, and a large cor- 

 respondence ensued. 



ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES. 



From the 16th January, 1913, by decision of the Minister, the Tobacco Division 

 has formed a part of the Experimental Farms system. This change will be beneficial 

 in many ways. The officers of the Division will now be able to give their whole time 

 to the study of questions in which they are directly interested, as they will be relieved 

 from many duties which had only a remote relation to their work. 



