4 GEORGE V. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 A. 1914 



REPORT FROM THE TOBACCO DIVISION. 



Ottawa, March 31, 1913. 

 J. H. Grisdale, Esq., B.Agr., 



Director, Dominion Experimental Farm?, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith the report of the Tobacco Division 

 for the year ending March 31, 1913. 



The work of the Tobacco Division, during the year 1912, was conducted on that 

 part of the Experimental Farm at Ottawa devoted to tobacco experiments, and also 

 on the Experimental Stations at St. Jacques l'Achigan, and at Farnham, Que., and 

 Harrow, Ont. 



The Experimental Station at St. Cesaire was given up during the spring of 1912 

 on account of its small size and its lack of communication facilities. Its place has 

 been taken by the Station at Farnham, some 74 arpents in size, situated on the out- 

 skirts of the town of that name, and near the railroad. This increase in area of the 

 Tobacco Stations in the province of Quebec will permit us to grow a sufficient 

 quantity of tobacco of each type, or of each variety, for the carrying on of the 

 fermentation process in the most suitable way. 



CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



The fermentation warehouse on the Central Experimental Farm, which should 

 have been ready for use in September, 1911, was not finished until February, 1912. 

 The sorting of the tobacco was immediately commenced, but the fermentation did not 

 really begin until the 11th of April, the date of the building up of the first bulk. 



The foreman, Mr. Richard Brault, engaged on the 12th of April, was put in 

 charge, especially of this part of the work, as well as the work on the. experimental 

 field at the Central Farm. 



It was rather difficult, on account of the delay occasioned by the warehouse not 

 being finished in time, to keep the tobacco sufficiently moist for good fermentation. 

 In reality, it was a little too dry when the formation of the first bulk was undertaken. 

 However, maximum temperatures of 49 degrees Centigrade for the filler tobacco 

 and 51 degrees Centigrade for the binder, were easily obtained. The bulk of binder, 

 which was the larger, fermented more strongly and cooled off more slowly. The total 

 duration was, for the filler, from the 11th of April to June 18, the bulk being turned 

 over twice; the binder, from the 11th of May till the 23rd of September, also with 

 two turnings over. 



All the tobacco, therefore, was subjected to three fermentations in the pile. The 

 fillers were baled up on June the 18th, while the binders remained in the bulk until 

 the date of their baling up on the 23rd of September. The reason for leaving this 

 tobacco in the bulk so long, before baling it up, was the late date upon which the 

 third fermentation wae practically finished. The great heat of the summer was 

 past, and it was thought that the ripening process would take place better in a fairly 

 large bulk than in eases of 250 to 300 pounds. All 'the fermentations were completed 

 without accident. When taken from the fermentation heap the tobacco was found 



693 



/ 



