658 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



7 GEORGE V, A. 1917 



cover an acre of soil one inch deep, for the water will naturally seep through the 

 particles of earth and be absorbed. It means that 27,154 gallons would cover an acre 

 one inch deep, providing there was no seepage or evaporation. If ten acres were being 

 irrigated, the amount of water required would be 271,540 gallons. At thirty pounds 

 nozzle pressure, one acre of Skinner irrigation system will deliver about fifty gallons 

 per minute, so that to deliver an acre inch the system would require between nine and 

 ten hours. The importance of a water supply will thus be recognized. In addition to 

 the matter of quantity of water, the question of pressure must also receive considera- 

 tion. This may be obtained by a high power pump, or by using a storage tank on a 

 high elevation with a lower powered pump supplying this tank. The pressure at the 

 nozzle lines should be, at least, thirty pounds, if the lines are put fifty feet apart, and 

 may be correspondingly lower if the lines are put closer together. The static pressure 

 at the tank, or the actual pressure at the pump, must, therefore, Fe considerably 

 greater than this, in order to overcome friction and still have thirtj^ pounds pressure 

 left at the nozzle lines. All these points must be considered carefully before any instal- 

 lation is made and any person considering the installation of an irrigation system 

 should give all the necessary data to the manufacturers, who will, in most cases, be 

 ready to give expert assistance in figuring up the best source of water supply for the 

 system. 



Whether or not it will pay a grower to irrigate depends upon local conditions. 

 There is no doubt but that under certain conditions irrigation will pay well. At the 

 Central Farm last season the new strawberry plantation was practically saved by irriga- 

 tion. During the early part of June the hot winds would dry out the upper portion of 

 the sandy soil and blow it over the young plant^almost burying them beneath hot sand. 

 By the use of the irrigation plant, this was overcome so that the plantation went into 

 winter quarters with very few misses and an excellent growth of runners. 



EXPERIMENTS IN GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS AT THE CENTRAL 

 EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA, IN 1915. 



There is no doubt but that ever since the first settlements were established in 

 Canada, about three hundred years ago, vegetable seeds have been saved from home- 

 grown plants, and there are now many Canadians who grow their own corn, tomato, 

 melon, bean, and pea seed, as well as other kinds; but comparatively few are growing 

 celery, beet, cabbage, cauliflower, and onion seed, as the -seed of these vegetables is 

 not so easily grown. 



The commercial production of vegetable seeds is limited to a very few persons in. 

 Canada, and the kinds of vegetable seeds grown commercially are few in number. 



After the war broke out it was realized by the Government that there might, 

 before long, be a decided shortage of those seeds of which France and Germany fur- 

 nished a large proportion, and the time seemed opportune for encouraging Canadians 

 to grow more seed themselves. A bulletin on " Growing Field Root. Vegetables and 

 Flower Seeds " (Bulletin No. 22, Second Series) was, therefore, published by M. O. 

 Malte, Ph.D., and W. T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, in which information 

 was given on the growing of certain kinds of seeds. Experiments were also begun on 

 the Central Farm, and the results obtained are given in the following pages. 



VEGETABLE SEED GROWING. 



As most of our poiiular vegetables are biennial plants, that is, require two years 

 in which to produce seed, it is necessary in this cold climate to resort to some means 

 of holding the yearling plants over the winter. Last year at the Central Farm beets, 

 carrots, cabbage, and celery were successfully carried through the winter season by 

 Btoring in pits in the open, wjiile onions were carried through in a root cellar. 



Ottaw.\. 



