52 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



6 GEORGE V, A. 1916 

 CROPS. 



Thirty-five acres of newly cleared land was sown to oats between May 23 and May 

 30. The yield per acre was from 25| acres, 22'^ bushels; from 4^- acres, 42 bushels of 

 New Market; and from 4i acres, 49 bushels Banner. As this land had only been 

 ploughed once it was very rough and uneven in quality, and the seed had to be sown 

 broadcast. A portion of the crop could not be gathered for threshing because of so 

 many small roots on the ground. Weather conditions .during June and July were so 

 unfavourable that the crop did not get fairly started until August; no fertilizer of 

 any kind was used. 



Buckwheat was sov.-n on 7i acres of newly cleared land. All conditions were 

 unfavourable to growth, and the yield was only 18 bushels per acre. 



Eight acres of turnips yielded at the rate of 940 bushels per acre at a labour cost of 

 4-98 cents per bushel, and 7,295 roots of the Kangaroo variety were stored for seed 

 production in 1915. Three varieties of sugar beets yielded from 410 to 484 bushels 

 per acre, and five varieties of white carrots from 411 to 725 bushels per acre. Fourteen 

 acres of corn yielded an average of 9 tons per acre of fairly well-eared stalks, and the 

 labour cost of growing the corn and putting it in the silo was $2.94 per ton. 



Ten and three-tenths acres of potatoes were grown. Four and one-third acres, on 

 land without fertilizer either with the crop, or for many years previously, yielded 209 

 bushels per acre. Leaving out land unfertilized, the average yield per acre for the 

 crop was 272 bushels. The surplus of the crop .was shipped from the field direct to 

 dealers in Saskatoon. 



Hay from old sod, of which there were 40 acres cut oveV, yielded 1 ton per aero. 

 Ten acres of newly-seeded clover under rather unfavourable conditions gave 1-^ tons per 

 acre. Two small patches of alfalfa were seeded in July. The ground was limed, 

 the seed inoculated, and a good stand secured. Peas and oats were sown for soiling 

 crops on ground full of mustard. The growth of mustard was sprayed three times with 

 bluestone solution, and thus partially kept under. The crop was all cut before any 

 of the mustard could ripen seed. 



HORTICULTURE. 



Seventeen acres was devoted to horticulture, as follows: Old orchard, 2 acres; new 

 orchard, 11 acres; small fruits, vegetables, flowers, and nursery, 4 acres. Six hundred 

 and six apple, twenty-seven pear, one hundred plum, and sixty-nine cherry trees were 

 set. A large number of varieties of raspberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, 

 rhubarb, and grapes were planted, and considerable additions made to the nursery. A 

 perennial border, 5G0 feet long, was established, and a large variety of roses and annual 

 flowers also grown. Variety and fertilizer tests were made with vegetables, including 

 152 varieties of potatoes. 



Seed plots of leading varieties of potatoes were hill-selected at harvest. The 

 average weight of the largest hills, according to variety, varied from 2ib pouiids to 

 5v| pounds, and that of the small hills from t".; pounds to 32 pounds according to variety. 

 Sixty-five hills of " Wee McGregor " potatoes averaging 5J pounds each in rows 30 

 inches apart and hills 12 inches apart in the rows yielded at the rate of l,G0v3 bushels 

 per acre, while 3'53' hills of the same variety at the same distances averaging 1 pou.nd 

 each, yielded only 290 bushels per acre, evidencing the possibilities of seed selection 

 and intensive cultivation. In the tests of 152 different varieties of potatoes, thirty 

 yielded at the rate of over 400 bushels per acre, the highest being 510 budiels. 



FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. 



Tests as to the relative values of nitrate of soda versus fish scrap, and basic slao- 

 versus acid phosphate were made in the growing of potatoes. Nitrate of soda gave 

 16 bushels more per acre than fish scrap, and basic slag gave 8 buslieis more per acre 



