REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 81 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



was in stook. The weather was very fine and almost everything looked promising. 

 The farm presented a neat and attractive appearance with its long, straight lines of 

 experimental plots, on many of which the crops were now ripening. The cereals all 

 looked well, excepting some of the oats which had suffered somewhat from rust. In- 

 dian corn was growing very fast and promised a heavy return, field roots were also 

 progressing satisfactorily. Hay has been a very heavy crop ; the awnless brome grass 

 and western rye grass have both done particularly well. The cattle in the pasture 

 fields were in good condition, so also were the pigs and poultry. The buildings, imple- 

 ments and the grounds generally all bore evidence of good care. The crops have yield- 

 ed well as will be seen from the annual report of Mr. S. A. Bedford, the superinten- 

 dent. Some of the neighbouring farms were visited and most of those well worked 

 promised crops about equal to those on the Experimental Farm. 



Many of the trees in the Pyrus orchard had bloomed abundantly, but had been so 

 injured by frost in June that there was very little crop. The plums had escaped in- 

 jury from frost and the trees were well laden with fruit. Among these were a large 

 number of new seedlings, none of which were ripe at that time, but on my return from 

 the Pacific coast on the 12th September when I paid a second visit to Brandon, many 

 of these varieties were ripe and proved of good quality. The small fruit plantations, 

 the trees and shrubs in the arboretum and the hedges had all made satisfactory growth. 

 The Dakota Cotton Wood Populus deltoidea which has until recently been a very pro- 

 mising tree on account of its thrifty and rapid growth has for two or three years past 

 been seriously affected by a yellow rust on the leaves which has destroyed the foliage 

 and so weakened the trees that many of them have been killed outright. This is a 

 serious trouble which seems to be spreading fast in Manitoba, and it is doubtful if it 

 is wise to plant this cottonwood to any great extent as a timber tree on account of its 

 liability to this disease. The Russian poplars so far have been free from this trouble. 

 Samples of the diseased leaves were forwarded to Dr. Jas. Fletcher, Botanist of the 

 Experimental Farms, and in his portion of this report particulars will be found of 

 some of the characteristics of this troublesome growth. 



The flower beds about the buildings were full of bloom, and were much admired 

 by visitors of which there were a goodly number every day. 



Experimental farm, indian head, n.w.t. 



This farm was reached on August 19, when a careful examination was made of 

 the crops, not only on the Experimental Farm, but on other farms in the district. 

 Some of the grain had been cut, but the harvest was two or three days later than in 

 Manitoba, and the yields were much heavier. The heads on some of the oat fields were 

 bo packed as to look from a little distance almost like a solid mass of grain. It was 

 then estimated that some of the fields would give 100 bushels per acre. Wheat also has 

 given larger crops than was expected. A perusal of the^returns given by Mr. A. Mac- 

 kay, superintendent, in his annual report appended, show most remarkable and' 

 unprecedented yields, and the neighbouring farmers have in many instances grown 

 crops as large as those on the Experimental Farm. The hay crop has been unusually 

 large. Indian corn gave very heavy returns, mangels and turnips also did well. 

 The farm was found in its usual excellent condition, and reflected credit on the 

 manager. 



The crop of fruits was also heavy. A considerable number of the Siberian crabs, 

 Pyrus baccata bore such abundant crops that the trees had to be propped up to prevent 

 them from breaking. These fruit trees which have proven perfectly hardy wherever 

 tested in the North-west bear fruits of varying size, on some trees they are very small, 

 on others they are of good size, but they all make excellent jelly if properly treated. 



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