EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR MANITOBA. 



Brandon, Man., 30th November, 1897. 



To De. Wm Saunders, 



Director Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



SiK, — I have the honour to submit herewith to you my tenth annual report with 

 details of the experiments undertaken and work accomplished on the Brandon Experi- 

 mental Farm during the past year. 



Although the past season has generally been a very favourable one for the Manitoba 

 farmer owing to the excellent quality of wheat and the high prices obtained for all kinds 

 of farm produce, it has not been as favourable as usual for experimental purposes, 

 especially with the oat crop on account of the prevailing severe wind storm and frost in 

 the early part of the season. 



The rainfall throughout the provinces during the growing season was very variable, 

 the eastern portions generally having a plentiful supply while in the western districts it 

 was considerably below the average, on this farm the rainfall was about 50 per cent of 

 either of the two previous years, two inches only falling during June and July the two 

 most critical months of the season. 



The last week of May and first of June were noticeable for very low temperatures 

 and high wind storms, which was very disastrous to the oat crop in exposed situations, 

 the one-tenth acre plots devoted to the varietal test of oats sufifering severely. 



The benefit of hedges and shelter belts was very clearly demonstrated at this time, 

 the grain growing on portions of the farm protected ever so slightly by a hedge or wind- 

 break escaped injury from drifting soil and when this was followed by severe frost the 

 unbruised plants in the protected areas were not frozen while the exposed grain was in 

 many instances completely killed. 



Fortunately the test plots of wheat and barley were uninjured by frost or wind and 

 the results from them were very satisfactory. 



There has been an almost total absence of rust among the grain crops and very 

 little smut. 



I beg to draw special attention to that portion of my report devoted to grasses 

 and clovers, this very satisfactory series of plots has attracted considerable attention 

 during the year and may open up the way to a more general cultivation of grasses and 

 especially clovers in this country where nitrogenous gathering plants are so much needed. 



Owing to the light rain-fall the yield of all fodder crops was below the average, but 

 the favourable weather enabled them to be stacked in good condition. 



No injury whatever was experienced from fall frosts, the grain all being harvested 

 before there was any injury from this cause. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH WHEAT. 



Although the yield of wheat throughout the province has generally been much 

 below the average, the returns of this cereal on the experimental farm has been about 

 the average and the quality and weight much better than usual, owing to patches of 

 scrub land many fields on this farm will not usually produce No. 1 Hard, but this year 

 all fields and plots of Red Fife graded No. 1 hard and No. 1 extra. 



Although the ,^^ acre plots of wheat were grown in the same field as the oats and 

 sufiered equally from the winds of May ; the frosts during that month and early in June 

 8a— 20^ 307 



