REPORT OF TEE DIEEGTOR 25 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The fruit crop was a good oue in 1914 at tlie Central Experimental Earrp, it 

 being clean and, well grown. As fire pots for protecting crops from frost have been 

 used successfully in the Western States, four hundred of these were purchased in 

 1814 for experimental work, and while the season was particularly free both from late 

 spring and early autumn frost, some interesting results were obtained in showing that 

 thci temperature could be raised several degrees by this means. 



Especial attention is being given to the breeding of new fruits, vegetables, and 

 flowers. Early-bearing varieties of fruits, early strains of vegetables, and improve- 

 ments in a few kinds of flow^ers were some of the lines on which this work was con- 

 tinued in 1914. 



Experiments with ornameutal plants were continued, and very useful additional 

 information in regard to herbaceous plants was obtained. The rose garden is now a 

 Striking feature of the ornam_ental grounds at the CentraTFarm. 



DIVISION OF OEREAI^S. 



. The season of 1914 was, on the whole, not very favourable for cereals. Severe 

 drought was experienced — at oite period or another — -over large areas of country. 

 Western Quebec and eastern Ontario suffered chiefly during the early part of the 

 season, while southvv'cstern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta were very seriously 

 aft'cctcd throughout the whole summer. Districts which had a fair rainfall produced 

 excellent crops. Particularly successful were central Alberta, southwestern Ontario, 

 and parts of the Maritime Provinces. 



Cereal crops on the Experimental Farms and Stations were generally good, the 

 methods of seed selection and soil ^cultivation employed being such as to reduce to a 

 minimum the dnmage caused by unfavourable weather of any kind. 



While the experimental v.ork with cereals was somewhat interfered with at two 

 or three of the Farms by the abnormal conditions, the results of the season were, on 

 the whole, satisfactory so far as yield of grain is concerned. 



NEW STATIONS. . 



Cereal investigations are always carried on at a great disadvantage when the land 

 is lacking in uniformity. It ••- therefore usually impossible to begin successful tests 

 of varieties duriug the first -,.o or three years after the establishment of a new 

 Station. 



The soil difficulties at Cap Mouge, Q*ue., are now clearly understood, and as the 

 chief of these can be easily remedied (by the application of lime) it is expected that 

 this year the test plots will give much more satisfactory results than they have hitherto 

 done. > 



Suitable land has been set aside for the growing of cereals at Ste. Anne de la 

 Pocaticre, but trial plots will not be established until an efiicient system of drainage 

 has been arranged. This will probably be done during the present year. 



A beginning is to be made at Frederieton this spring. While the land is as yet 

 rather uneven for experimental work, it is believed that valuable results can be reached 

 by the plan which is being adopted, namely,, to sow four plots of eacli of the varieties 



under trial. 



At Kentville, N.S., it is proposed to grow only a very small number of the best 

 varieties, and to have a large plot or a small field of each sort. 



A series of plots will be sown this spring at Invermere, B.C., on irrigated land. A 

 small number of varieties will be tested— sufficient, however, it is believed, to serve 

 as a guide to farmers in the Columbia valley. These plots will be in duplicate, one 

 series receiving more water than the other. 



