16 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



growing these crops, and particularly canning crops, are unable to 

 obtain sufficient manure and are required to purchase commercial 

 fertilizers. Up to the present time, they have been buying mostly 

 ready mixed and cheap fertilizers. We arranged, that these experi- 

 ments should be made by the most careful farmers, who are ex- 

 pected to report to us and also to the Farmers' Club meetings in the 

 winter. In most cases, they have cared for the plots and kept 

 accurate records. Wherever possible, the experiments were con- 

 ducted near the road and attracted much attention. The amount of 

 commercial fertilizers used will be greatly increased another year. 



Tests were conducted with varieties of corn on twenty-four 

 different farms, in some cases sweet corn, others Flint and others 

 Dent. Tests were made with Common Mandeschuri and 0. A. C. 

 No. 21 barley on fourteen different farms. The barley was distri- 

 buted to students who had taken the Short Course last winter, and 

 there are already many enquiries as to where to obtain seed of 

 these varieties for next season. Two varieties of peas were distri- 

 buted, some of the seed having been obtained from the Winter Fair 

 and from the prize-winning lots in the Field crop competition. 



Quite a number of farmers have been conducting experiments 

 in connection with the Farmers' Clubs, the Club assigning a certain 

 experiment to each of several members. In some sections, they 

 have been testing fertilizers. For instance, at Wellington, one 

 farmer has treated an acre of tomatoes with 100 Ibs. of muriate 

 of potash and 300 Ibs. of acid phosphate. On an acre directly 

 alongside and treated alike, he added 100 Ibs. of sodium nitrate, on 

 the rest of the field no fertilizer was applied. He has kept an 

 accurate record of the work and found that he can profitably use 

 the fertilizer and will do so to a larger extent another year. Other 

 farmers in the same section are experimenting with fertilizers on 

 potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes and celery. One of our experi- 

 ments this season was with fertilizers for celery on muck soil. 



Experimental or demonstration plots were conducted in connec- 

 tion with the Collegiate Institute. In addition, variety tests were 

 made of mangolds, tomatoes, millets and corn, also fertilizer tests 

 with potatoes. We had a breeding block of sweet corn, known as 

 Pearce's Improved Evergreen, a variety which originated in this 

 county and which is sought after by the canning factories. We ob- 

 tained some seed from Mr. Pearce and made some selections* from 

 the block grown this year. The main point considered in selecting 

 was to obtain ears with deeper kernels, thus giving a larger pro- 

 portion of corn. We expect to carry this work further another year 

 and to get the managers of the different factories interested. 



