DIVISION OF FIELD HUSBANDRY 115 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Owing to the fact that the charges for both horse and manual labour are higher 

 than in previous years, with no corresponding increase in the valuation of the products, 

 the net profits, as given above, are not so great as last year. A comparison of the 

 value of the returns for the past fourteen years shows, however, very appreciable 

 increases up to the present, and indicates that our system of cultivation and cropping 

 is gradually but surely building up the fertility of our soil. Using the same prices 

 throughout, the value of the products of the ' 200-acre Farm,' per acre, were : $14.39 

 in 1899, $21.30 in 1900, $22.98 in 1901, $24.18 in 1902, $21.61 in 1903, $24.50 in 1904, 

 $29.30 in 1905, $23.23 in 1906, $24.45 in 1907, $23.87 in 1908, $28.51 in 1909, $29.58 

 in 1910, $27.38 in 1911 and $31.63 in 1912. 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 



The most important work at present in progress at the Central Experimental 

 Farm, is the testing of rotations considered suitable for live stock farming. 



It will perhaps not be out of place to repeat what has been said in previous 

 reports in connection with this experiment. 



' The true farmer will ever have two objects in view when managing his 

 farm : To so manage as to increase gradually but surely the margin of profit, 

 and, at the same time, to render his farm more productive. Many factors must 

 necessarily unite to produce such desirable results, but of one feature we may 

 be certain, there will be followed on such a farmer's farm a regular rotation of 

 crops, for no other single practice in farm management can compare with this 

 in importance. The rotation or rotations adopted, will, of course, depend upon 

 the line of farming followed, and to some extent upon the character of the 

 soil and the physical peculiarities of the farm as a unit, but a rotation there 

 will be. 



' Crop rotation means a certain succession of crops which regularly repeats 

 itself each time the course is run. It really means, further, that the crops 

 follow each other in such order as to insure each having supplies of plant food 

 of such a character as to aid in securing good returns from each particular crop. 



' Hence, in arranging a rotation, it is very necessary to have some knowledge 

 of the food requirements of different crops and to know something of the values 

 of the residues from the different crops included. Certain forage crops, such a3 

 corn, roots, potatoes and hay, require an immense amount of food for stem, 

 leaf and root production — that is an abundance of nitrates as is found in clover 

 or other sod turned down, and in well-manured lands. Other crops, such as 

 cereals, can get along best with a lighter supply of nitrates, but need more 

 phosphates, hence do well after some forage crop has taken up the superabun- 

 dance of free nitrates found after sod. It is evident, therefore, that a good 

 rotation will include (1) meadow or pasture, (2) roots or corn, and (3) some 

 cereal crop. 



' Various combinations of these three classes are possible, and the natural 

 aim of experimental work will be to determine (1) the comparative values of 

 rotations as soil improvers, and (2) their relative suitability for different lines 

 of farming.' 



During the year a re-arrangement of the rotations in this experiment was made. 

 Owing to their changed location and to the fact that it was not possible to have the 

 regular crops grown in all cases, the results are not altogether comparable, and will 

 not be included in averages that will be compiled in later years. 



The test now includes five rotations, A, B, C, D and It, most of which may be 

 found in more or less common use in the better farming districts of Eastern Canada 

 where live stock is kept. 



16— Si 



