REPORT OF TEE AGRICULTURIST 301 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Cost to produce 1 ton grain $17 33 



Cost to produce 1 bushel grain 52 



Cost to produce 1 ton straw 3 27 



Cost to produce 100 lbs. digestible dry matter, grain. . . . 110*7 cts. 



Cost to produce 100 lbs. digestible dry matter, straw. ... 43 cts. 



MIXED CROP EXPERIMENTS. 



Side by side on the first year of the rotation field, that is, on what had been pas- 

 ture the preceding year, were sown 8 plots of 2 acres each, the aim being to get some 

 data as to the comparative yields of crops grown as mixtures and as pure grains. 

 The yields were materially affected by the bad season. The rank growth of the early 

 part of the season made those mixtures containing pease rather more susceptible to 

 injury from heat than were other mixtures or pure grains. The mixtures and pure 

 grains are as fellows : — 



Pounds. 



Plot 1, pure pease, Blue Prussian, yielded 2,279 



Plot 2, pure barley, Canadian Thorpe, yielded 2,140 



Plot 3, pure oats, Banner, yielded 3,637 



Plot 4, pease and oats, equal parts by measure 2,022 



Plot 5, pease, 1 bushel, oats, 2 bushels, yielded 1,492 



Plot 6, oats 1£ bushels, barley 1 bushel, yielded 2,477 



Plot 7, wheat \ bushel, barley § bushel, oats 1 bushel, 



pease, f bushel, yielded 1,775 



Plot 8, pease and oats, equal parts by weight, yielded .... 2,114 



HAY. 



As in previous years, the hay crop follows the grain, which comes immediately 

 after roots and corn. At the same time as the grain is sown a heavy seeding of timo- 

 thy and clover is made. • Clover is sown at the rate of pounds red clover and 2 

 pounds of Alsike per acre, mixed with 12 pounds of timothy seed. Where surface 

 cultivation is practised, and the surface soil for that reason particularly rich in 

 humus, there is very little danger of a miss or failure. 



The first cutting of hay is principally clover, the aftermath contains usually a 

 good sprinkling of timothy, and the next crop in the succeeding spring will be chiefly 

 timothy with a slight admixture of Alsike. Two years under hay or hay and pasture 

 is quite sufficient, if it is intended to maintain or~ increase the fertility of the soil 

 or if it is desired to get the very best returns from the land. 



The importance and advisability of giving a good heavy seeding and leaving only 

 a short time down, was well exemplified here this year. Twenty-two dairy cows were 

 pastured on 16 acres and in July it was deemed advisable to cut the grass on the 

 pasture, as it was evident the cattle would not be able to use it to advantage. From 

 the 16 acres were cut 11 tons 1,355 pounds of cured hay. 



BROME GRASS FOR PASTURE. 



A rather noticeable area in the abeve 16 acres was a stretch of 4 acres in extent, 

 which had -been seeded to brome grass when the rest of the field had been seeded to 

 clover and timothy. The growth was very thick and strong, but the cattle seemed 



