40 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



Sunflower heads were first grown as a field crop at the Central Experimental Farm 

 in 1892, and have been grown each year since and used to advantage in a mixed 

 ensilage known as the Robertson Mixture, composed of Indian corn, horse beans and 

 sflnflower heads. In harvesting the sunflowers th« heads only have been cut and have 

 yielded as follows : — 



Tons. Pounds. 



1892, \ acre. Yield of heads per acre 7 486 



1893, 3 acres — stalks levelled to the ground by a severe 



storm — average yield per acre 3 295 



1894, 6^ acres " " 3 1,998 



1895, 3 acres " " 5 1,924 



1896, 1^ acre " " 7 1,823 



1897, 1 J acre *' " 7 350 



An average for the 6 years of 5 tons 1,813 pounds per acre. 



In 1894 three experiments were tried to ascertain the proportion of seeds con- 

 tained in sunflower heads. In the first 315^ pounds were shelled giving 74^ 

 pounds of clean seed, or about 24 per cent. In the second 474| pounds of heads 

 were used giving 112 J pounds of clean seed, rather leas than 24 per cent. In the third 

 experiment 165 pounds of heads were used giving 33 J pounds of clean seed, a fraction 

 over 20 per cent. The first two experiments were with the black variety of the 

 Russian seed, the last was with the light coloured variety. The average yield from the 

 three experiments was about 23 pounds of seeds from each 100 pounds of sunflower 

 heads. The seeds are said to contain 20^ per cent of oil and 15*88 of albimiinoids. 



EXPERIMENT WITH BUCKWHEAT. 



One plot of about ^^ths of an acre waa sown with buckwheat. The soil was a sandy 

 loam which had been used as a nursery for young forest trees for the past 10 years and 

 had not received any manure or other fertilizer. The land was ploughed in the autumn 

 of 1896 about 8 inches deep and disc-harrowed and harrowed with the smoothing 

 harrow several times before sowing. Sown 23rd June, 3 pecks per acre of the variety 

 known as Silver Hull, came up 28th June and was ripe 15th September. The time to 

 mature was 79 days. Yield per acre 30 bushels 16 pounda. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH FLAX 



The experiments with flax, begun in 1896, were repeated in 1897. This year, 

 however, none of the flax was pulled but all was cut with the scythe which, as the flax 

 was fully ripe, caused the seed to shed badly and thus reduced the yield. The soil 

 was a sandy loam of medium to poor quality, which received a dressing of about 12 

 tons per acre of barn-yard manure during the winter of 1895-96. No fertilizer has been 

 applied since. The previous crop was roots. The land waa ploughed in the autumn of 

 1896 about 8 inches deep and disc-harrowed once in the spring and harrowed twice with 

 the smoothing harrow before sowing each set of plots. The seed was sown broadcast 

 by hand and lightly harrowed to cover it, after which the land was rolled, 



FIRST SOWING. 



Plot 1. Forty pounds of seed per acre. Sown 5th May, came up 12th May and was 

 ripe 14th August. Made a strong and even growth, all standing welL 



Weight of straw per acre 3,220 pounds. 



Yield of seed per acre 8 bushels 42 pounds. 



