REPORT OF MR. ANGUS MAC KAY. 375 



" Fifteen to eighteen pounds of seed is required per acre. More seed wUl give a 

 better crop the first year, but less afterwards as the roots thicken up each year and in 

 three or four years makes better pasture than hay. 



" The seed being Hght, long and thin, seeding by hand is the only practicable method 

 To seed properly a calm day should be chosen, so that all parts of the land may be 

 evenly sown. 



" While the plants are young, weeds are sure to make great headway and it is 

 necessary to keep them, at least from going to seed. The quickest way to accomplish 

 this is to go over the field with a mower, cutting just above the grass-plants. If this 

 operation has to be repeated it will be necessary to cut the tops of the grass, but this 

 will not injure the plants, in fact it is an advantage in the way of giving the roots a 

 better hold. 



" The first crop of hay can be cut the next year after seeding, and will, in ordinary 

 years be ready early in July. Eight or ten days after being ready to cut for hay it 

 will be fit to cut for seed if so desired. 



" On this farm it has always been cut in first blossom for hay and ten days from this 

 time it is considered in proper state to cut for seed. 



" In cutting for seed a binder is used and the grass is cut, tied and stooked the same 

 as wheat or other grain. In a week or ten days after cutting it is ready to thresh or 

 store away as deemed best. 



" For threshing small quantities the old-fashioned flail is suitable, but for large lots a 

 threshing machine should be used on which the wind has been closed ofi" as much as 

 practicable. From three to six hundred pounds of seed may be expected from an acre." 



YIELDS. 



Twenty acresfrom fields which have been cut 3, 4 or 5 times, 52,100 pounds or 1 ton 

 605 pounds per acre. 



Twenty-two acres new crop 79,555 pounds or 1 ton 1,616 pounds per acre. (One 

 acre of this field yielded 3 tons 1,000 pounds.) 



EXPERIMENTS WITH ROOTS. 



The root crop was very light the past season. No seeds germinated until the 

 middle of June, nearly one month later than usual, and excessive rains for three days in 

 June hardened the land to such an extent that it was in very bad condition to stand the 

 dry weather which set in early in July and continued, with the exception of two or three 

 days upon which showers fell, to the time the roots were taken up. The roots were on 

 clay loam summer-fallowed land, which was ploughed before the seeds were sown. 



Following will be found yields of two seedings each of turnips, mangels, carrots and 

 sugar beets. The yield per acre, in each case, has been calculated from the weight of 

 roots obtained from two rows each, 66 feet long. 



