60 TEE DIRECTOR, EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



aries of the farm about two miles. We have found that width to answer very well 

 there. It has made a dense mass of wood which not only protects from the wmc^ 

 but it gathers also the snow in winter and this through the influence of the trees 

 extends some distance out into the fields which when melted in the spring gives 

 favourable conditions of moisture. 



Q. How far are the belts apart ? 



A. They are not planted at any regular distance. Besides the 100 feet belt run- 

 ning on the two sides of the farm, there are several large blocks of trees and some miles 

 of avenues. Shelter hedges have been made by planting the seed of the Manitoba 

 maple thickly, so that when it comes up the trees will make a thick hedge. Many of 

 these hedges have been planted. 



Q. How far are they apart ? 



A. No regularity is observed as to distance in this respect. 



Q. Say 100 or 80 rods apart ? 



A. They are at different distances, some of them closer than that. 



By Mr. Stephens: 



Q. One row on the north and west sides of the farm of 640 acres would be suffi- 

 cient, would it not ? 



A. The people there seem to think that they cannot get too many trees. And when 

 you have a square mile of land to work on, 100 feet in width of trees seems to be a small 

 matter. We have the protection of the belt I have referred to and trees or hedges 

 along the roadways on either side, and have also introduced here and there, wherever 

 we thought it could be done to advantage, larger plantations; we have one of five 

 ficres. 



By Mr. Cochrane: 



Q. That is rather indefinite, to my mind, for Ontario. Your roads are roads 

 through the farm ? 



A. I am speaking, you understand, from a North-west standpoint where land is 

 plentiful. In Ontario such work would be done differently. Reference has been made 

 to the trees interfering with the crops for some distance, and farmers in Ontario 

 would not want to devote a very large portion of good land to such purposes. We 

 have not the same difficulties to contend with here, and hence do not need to adopt the 

 same methods. 



BROilE GR.iVSS PASTURE FOR FATTEXIXG STOCK. 



By Mr. }Yilson : 



Q. You did not think of saying something about cattle in the North-west. I do 

 not know whether you have time or not i 



A. I shall be glad to answer questions. 



Q. I was out in Brandon in August last year, but I have not with me the notes 

 r made then on the result of an experiment with two young oxen there jiastured on 

 Brome grass. The result was marvellous. ' 



A. That experiment is reported on in the annual report now in the press. Two 

 steers were inclosed in one acre field of Brome grass, and they were given nothing 

 to eat but what they could get from the Brome grass, and they made remarkable "-ains 

 in weight. From May 8 to August 2S each steer gained 245 pounds, a total for 

 the two of 490 pounds, which at 3J cents per pound, equals $17.1.5. 



By Mr. Cochrane : 



Q. Two animals on one acre ? 

 A. Yes. 



