DITISION OF EORTICULTl'RE JJ^ 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, STE. ANNE DE LA 



POCATIERE, QUE. 

 KEPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, JOS. BEGIN. 



CHARACTER OF SEASON. 



The spring- of 1915 was late, wet, and cold. The lack of rain and heat in April 

 delayed the thawing out of the soil until the middle of May. It was not possible to 

 plant fruit trees before May 19, aijd even at this date it was found when planting 

 the trees that the ground was frozen in certain places. The growth was at least two 

 weeks later than in the past three years. From June 25 to July 25 there fell only 

 1-65 inches of rain, and all crops suffered from want of it. The months of August 

 and September were more favourable as regards rain and temperature. The tem- 

 perature was only moderately warm, but no frost was recorded in September. October 

 was normal. The first frost to injure plants was registered on October 7, the tem- 

 perature falling to 29-6° F. The flowers, which up to this time had been magnificent, 

 were for the most part injured and were entirely destroyed by a very hard frost on 

 the 18th. The months of November and December were fine autumn months from 

 the horticultural standpoint. Enough snow fell at the end of December to protect the 

 soil. From January 1 to March 31 the temperature was colder than the mean of the 

 last three winters. February was the coldest month of the year, and the mean tem- 

 perature of this month was 9° F. The coldest temperature of the winter was 22° 

 below zero, which was on February 21. 



*FRUIT CROP. , « 



Ordinarily, in the region near Ste. Anne, there is an abundant fruit crop. Kot- 

 withstanding that the crop of 1914 was good, the crop of 1915 will be still more noted 

 for the quantity of fruit produced. These successive crops prove that the extra care 

 given to the orchards for several years, such as priming and spraying is well 

 repaid. 



It is deplorable to state that thousands of gallons of plums, damsons, and other 

 good varieties were not picked, there being no market to sell them in. By .reason of 

 the difficulties of transportation and the uncertainty of the market at the date of 

 harvesting, the buyers offered so low a price that several growers left their plums on 

 the trees. A remunerative price was obtained for the early varieties, such as Mira- 

 belle, Favourite, and Early Yellow, of which the fruit was ripe on August 18. The 

 varieties Reine Claude de Bavay and Lombard had still some good fine fruit at the 

 end of October, demonstrating that a plum orchard of well-assorted varieties 

 can furnish plums from August 15 to the end of October. Apples were a little less 

 abundant than in 1914, but the price was higher, as a rule, compensating well for 

 the care in their production. 



PLANTATION OF FRUIT TREES. 



One hundred and thirty-two apple trees and twenty plum trees were planted or 

 May 19 on a soil drained and well prepared during the summer of 1914. This 

 plantation completes a commercial orchard of 10 acres containing 668 apple trees, 

 representing 115 varieties; 209 plum trees, representing 30 varieties; 81 cherry trees, 



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