DiriSIOX OF HOinicULTURE _ 759 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, FREDERICTON, N.B. 



REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, W. W. HUBBARD. 



THE SEASON. 



The winter was, in the early part, clear and cold with scarcely any snow. In 

 the latter part of December, 1914, it was intensely cold, the frost penetrating the bare 

 ground to a greater depth than usual. January, February, and March, 1915, were 

 much milder than the average, the mean temperature for these months being 22-8 

 degrees Fahr., against an average for forty-two years of 18 degrees, but with less 

 sunshine and only about half the usual precipitation. There was scarcely any snow- 

 covering on the fields at any time and the ground was practically bare after the 9th 

 of March. April was, however, wet with only 102 hours of bright sunshine, while in 

 May there were sixteen, and in June twenty wet days. July had only fourteen days 

 rainy but during one of them there was a precipitation of 3-26 inches, which left the 

 already, saturated ground standing in pools of water, and drowned out much crop. 

 August had thirteen days on which rain fell and up to September first the temperature 

 was abnormally low. From May 1 to September 1 there was a rainfall of 19 inches 

 compared with an average for these months, for forty-one years, of 14J inches. These 

 unusual weather conditions greatly hindered all agricultural operations and in some 

 low-lying districts were entireTy prevented. 



No frost was recorded at' this Station after May 1, though the nights were cool 

 all through the summer. The first frost occurred on September 26, but was only 

 noticeable in low places. Potatoes, corn, etc., were partially killed on October 2, but 

 not generally until the 11th of that month. 



The same amount of land as last year, viz., 17 acres, exclusive of potatoes, was 

 devoted to horticultural work, and in addition, 6 acres more were broken up out of 

 sod and cleared from stumps for lawn purposes. This latter portion will be worked 

 level, roads constructed through it and seeded in 1916. The perennial border on the 

 southeast side of the vegetable plots was widened and 119 varieties of perennials were 

 planted in the fall. A lawn 12 feet wide and 600 feet long was sown between the 

 perennial border and road. A second perennial border, 400 feet in length, was estab- 

 lished and plantings of willow, spruce, and pine made in the shelter belt to the north- 

 west of the garde]^. Twenty-seven species of hedge shrubs and trees were planted, 

 some of them in rows 33 feet long and some in rows 66 feet. The hedge rows were 

 placed 15 feet apart. 



All varieties of strawberries that did not grow in 1914, and come through tho 



winter, were reset, ^ .,. 



Varietal tests were made with all garden vegetables and the fertilizer test begun 

 in 1914 was continued. In this, the experience of the previous year was confirmed 

 in finding that 15 tons of barnyard manure per acre, valued at $15, with from $5 to 

 $10 worth of chemical fertilizers, gave generally much larger yields than where 30 

 tons of manure per acre, valued at $30, was applied. 



Of the one hundred and fifty-two varieties of potatoes grown in 1914, thirty-two 

 were discarded in 1915 as being either undesirable or duplicates of other varieties, 

 and one hundred and twenty varieties were grown. A great difference in the disease 

 rosistent qualities of different varieties was noted. While the ground on which the 

 variety rows were planted was fairly uniform in regard to drainage, some rows 



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