DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE 725 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



unusually wet period from June 7 to 25, only five out of these eighteen days being 

 without rain, during which 2-36 inches of rain fell. The weather was dark on the 

 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th, with fairly bright weather on the 10th and 11th. Rain, how- 

 ever, fell every day and amounted to 1 '01 inches of which 0-57 fell o-n the 9tL, and 

 0-37 on the 12th. After the heavy rain on the 9th, very few blossoms remained on the 

 trees. The petals fell quickly and fruit did not set as well as expected. The varieties 

 Spy, Blenheim, Baldwin and Roxbury Russet (Nonpareil), showing a very poor set. 

 The poor set v.'as probably due to imperfect pollination. 



This unfavourable weather for spraying, together with the urgent need of time to 

 finish up the seeding and planting which also had been held up by the backward sea- 

 son, the abundance of fruit bloom, coupled with a general pessimistic feeling among 

 the farmers (resulting from the poor prices received for the fruit the preceding season) 

 that the ci'op would be a bumper one, that barrels would be high owing to the small 

 stock of stave material got out the preceding winter, that prices would be poor owing 

 to the war coxiditions, hence, a worthless crop, caused many farmers to neglect their 

 spraying, which resulted in a bad apple scab infection and consequently a low grade 

 of fruit. Farmers that were more optimistic and did their spraying thoroughly were 

 rewarded for their diligence and expense by getting exceptionally good prices for their 

 output, due partly to the small apple crop and partly to their high class of fruit in 

 comparison to the low class that resulted from luisprayed orchards. Orchards that 

 received four thorough applications of spray at the proper time were, in spite of the 

 unfavourable weather, free from scab. 



The rainfall for June, July and August was 7-79 inches as compared with 8-32 

 inches in 1914 and 6-65 inches in 1913. The precipitation this year was well dis- 

 tributed, and no crops suffered from drought. 



The month of September was unusually bright, giving a fruit of high colour. 

 Gravensteins were picked on September 15. The month was free from frost except for 

 two degrees on the 26th. This gave corn and other tender vegetable crops an excel- 

 lent chance to mature. A strong westerly gale on the 26th and 27th did considerable 

 damage to the winter varieties. 



As most of the precipitation occurred during the night and the sun shone on all 

 but six days, October was an ideal month for gathering the fruit and vegetable crops. 

 The fruit crop proved lighter tlian expected and the month closed with practically all 

 the crops harvested. 



November was mild and open until the last, giving the farmers ample time to do 

 their fall ploughing. Frost prevented ploughing on the morning of the 18th, 19th and 

 24th of the month only, which is very unusual. December opened with a snowfall of 

 5 inches which quickly went off, and little snow fell again until the 31st, when a fall 

 of 6 inches made excellent sleighing. The month was unusually mild, the mean 

 average temperature being 29 "14 degrees as compared with 22 "89 for the same period 

 in 1914, and 23 -44 for 1913. There was little frost in the ground at the close of the 

 month. 



A thavp on the 5th of January took off the snow and the ground was bare during 

 the greater part of the month. Light flurries of snow gave sleighing during the 19th, 

 20th and 21st, but this went off with a thaw ooi the 22nd. The lowest temperature was 

 4 degrees below on the 18th. 



After the early part of February the month was cold throughout. The lowest 

 temperature was on the 14th, 15th, 16th, 2ath, 21st and 22nd, when 1, 19, 8, 1, 4 and 7 

 degrees Fahr. below zero, respectively, were recorded. Frequent falls of snow through- 

 out the month made fairly good sleighing. There was one heavy thaw during the 

 month which was on the 2Gth and 27th when 1-14 inches of rain fell, causing a con- 

 siderable freshet. 



March has been unusually stormy and the snowfall was heavy, aggregating 40-5 

 inches. Twelve inches of snow on the 4th drifted badly and delayed train traffic. On 



Kentville. 



