58 THE DIRECTOR. EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



A. That is the report of this committee, I presume ? 



Q. Yes. 



A. Not of the experimental farm ? 



Q. No, these things should come in envelopes so that a man ha=f nothing to do 

 but put names on. After you get them and write to Ottawa, and get Hansard en- 

 velopes, it is a little too much for a man who is a busy man. He might address the 

 envelopes while he will not go through all this work. 



A. All our experimental farm reports are sent in envelopes to every one on our 

 mailing list; about .50,000 in all. 



Q. I got 200 odd of the committee reports at the house and I just did not kaow 

 what to do with them. 



A. I should have been glad to get them for distribution at the experimental farm. 



By Mr. Cochrane : 



Q. Would you explain the effect of this planting of trees on the plots adjoining ? 



A. I shall be glad to do so. 



Q. All right. 



A. I was up at Indian Head in the summer of 1900, after they had had a series 

 of very bad wind-storms. I went over the crops very carefully and I was surprised 

 at the effect the shelter belts had had on the fields adjoining. 1 found by measurement 

 that for every foot of tree growth, there was a protecting influence fiir from 50 to 60 

 feet on the crop in the adjoining field. Where we had a growth 12 feet in height, 

 about 600 feet of the grain had been preserved quite green, and a little beyond that 

 influence the ground was so wind-swept you could not see a green blade on the ground. 

 ' It was a most convincing evidence of the value of the shelters. 



Q. What stage was the grain in then ? 



A. It was about three 'or four inches high. Most of the unprotected parts of the 

 fields had the grain so destroyed that it was found necessary to plough and resow the 

 land. Some fields partly destroyed were left, and gave small crops of from 5 to 20 

 bushels of wheat per acre, whereas the x)roteeted area gave of wheat about 30 bushels 

 to the acre. 



Q. Does the grain grow well right close up to the tree ? 



A. We do not sow the grain close up to the trees, but generally have a roadway 

 between the trees and the grain fields. 



Q. I find in our section of the country and on our own farm that trees are very 

 exhaustive, especially a row of maples or spruce, and I found in one instance that 

 witli a very shapely maple tree which any one of artistic taste would be glad to have 

 about, the tree was in the corner of tlie fence, the field was planted in corn, and I 

 counted thirty-four hills of corn in the shade of that tree almost useless '( 



A. That is very true, but there is not much lack of space or fertility in the west, 

 and I think a roadway between the plantation and field, is sufficient and the fields that 

 are not protected suffer so much from wind that trees pay well for the space they 

 occupy. We do not get such wind< here, strong-enough to blow the grain out of the 

 ground. Several years ago we had an instance where a plot of Banner oats in the 

 partial protection of trees gave over 100 bushels to the acre, whereas one not far off 

 but exposed gave little over 50 bushels. These instances might be multiplied, but I 

 have perhaps said enough on that point to prove the great utility of trees as well as 

 their beauty. 



SABLE ISLAND. 



By Mr. Slepliens : 



Q. Does the wind usually come from the same direction ? 



A. Not always, but we have the plantations so placed as to break the force of the 

 wind as much as possible from all points. Some interesting work has been done during 



