Din&IOy OF TOBACCO 697 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



year, the harvest of 12 arpents. It was finished in time to receive the first harvest of 

 tobacco on the Station. 



During the winter, two other buildings were put up, one containing a stable, a 

 storehouse for material, a small seed room and a stripping room. The other building 

 will serve both for a storehouse and a curing barn. The upper part of it is fitted up 

 for the latter use, and furnished with ventilators. This latter building is covered 

 with galvanized iron, after a model which has already given satisfaction at the 

 Tobacco Station at Harrow for curing Burley tobacco. 



TOBACCO STATION AT HARROW, ONT. 



The experiments at Harrow, during the year 1912, bore upon the different 

 methods of making seed beds, the different formula? of fertilizers, and th.3 method of 

 applying the latter. The varieties chiefly used in tobacco growing in southern 

 Ontario, namely, Burley and Yellow Virginia, were, so to speak, the only ones grown 

 on the Tobacco Station at Harrow, rotation as follows, namely, cereal, tobacco and 

 Indian corn. The clover sown with the grain is ploughed under in the spring on the 

 land for tobacco planting. The severe winter of 1911-12 seriously injured the fall 

 wheat sown and necessitated re-sowing the land to spring grain. 



The Indian corn plantation was excellent. Certain parts of it yielded up to 145 

 bushels per acre. The average for the area sown to Indian corn was 115 bushels. The 

 quality of the crop was first-class, and proportion of cobs discarded was very small. 



The orchard belonging to the Station has, after two years of treatment, been 

 cleared of San Jose scale, and the apple crop, although less abundant than that of 

 1911, contains none but sound fruit. 



SEEDLINGS. 



As in former years, while other growers in the neighbourhood were looking for 

 tobacco plants, for which they offered up to $3 per thousand, our seedbeds furnished 

 us with an abundant supply at the time desired. 



While one can hardly recommend, in a special manner, either the hotbed or the 

 coldbed, one can hardly insist too much upon the necessity of some shelter of glass 

 and of the frequent renewal of the mould used. When the latter cannot be replaced, 

 it is necessary, at least, to disinfect it. Speaking generally, the area devoted to 

 growing seedlings is insufficient. It should be increased, sometimes even doubled, 

 in order to be sure of having enough plants, under normal conditions, to meet the 

 requirements of transplantation. 



PLANTATION. 



This was undertaken during the first days of June, the weather at the time being 

 rather cool and dry for the season. The setting out was rather difficult on account 

 of atmospheric conditions not being suitable for growth, and also from the destruc- 

 tion caused by 'cutworms. The latter, fortunately, were checked by the use of 

 poisoned bran. Growth was rather slow. The harvest was commenced on the 21st 

 of September, which is rather late, especially for yellow tobacco of Virginia type. 

 In spite of the unfavourable character of the season, we were able to obtain an abundant 

 supply of white Burley seed which will be quite sufficient for all applications for 

 samples. 



The experiments with chemical fertilizers enabled us to obtain, at a comparatively 

 low cost, yields of about 1 ton per acre. These experiments with fertilizers will be 

 systematized in order to enable us to establish the formula which will permit us to 

 obtain, not the greatest yield per acre, but the greatest money returns. Considering 

 the considerable number of formula' which one can use, and the great number of 

 special fertilizers upon the market, it may be easily seen that the solution of the 



