DIVISIOX OF HORTICULTURE 817 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, BRANDON, MAN. 



REPOET OF THE STTPERINTENDENT. W. C. McKILLICAN, B.S.A. 



In presenting the following report on the horticultural work at the Brandon 

 Experimental Farm for the year 1915-16, credit must be given to the Assistant in 

 Horticultui-e, Mr. S. A. Bjarnason, B.A., B.S.A., who did much of the work of taking 

 notes and who has compiled the results presented herewith. 



The season opened early, and April was a fine warm month favourable for early 

 work. This was followed by cold weather and repeated severe frosts during May and 

 June and cool weather even in July. During this same period and in August, tlie 

 rainfall was much Jjelow normal. The season was, therefore, a very trying one for 

 horticultural products, much damage being done by frosts, and crops that were not 

 actually damaged were delayed and reduced in productiveness. Unusually early fall 

 frosts, beginning with a sharp frost on August 23, completed a series of untoward 

 conditions that made the season as a whole the most unfavourable in years. 



VEGETABLES. 



Onions, parsnips, lettuce, peas, carrots, parsley, spinach, radish and early potatoes 

 were sown during the latter part of April and the early part of May. The succeeding 

 dry weather and frequent frosts kept these in check to a great extent so the advantage 

 of early sowing was greatly minimized. Everything was progressing favourably until 

 the night-frosts late in August destroyed all tender stuff and froze the vines of the 

 potatoes and tomatoes. Corn, beans and cucurbitaceous plants were totally destroyed. 

 Hardy garden stuff did not suffer, and ripened very satisfactorily. 



POTATOES. 



Twenty varieties of potatoes were tested this year. Two 6G-foot rows of each 

 variety were grown, and the yield per acre was computed from the yield obtained 

 from these. In order to give a better idea of the average yield of each variety, 5-year, 

 4-year, 3-year, and 2-year averages are also given below. The yield in 1915 was as 

 follows :— 



