DECEMBER 26. 1951.

I

WAGE NINE"

illifperimental Fault Covered, Wide field Tlibjir

The following summary of major .-ctlvities at the Dominion Experi- mental station. Chmlottetowu, for me year 1951 has been supplied by tL.ipCl'iIll.EIldEnt R. C. Parent:

l General Improvements

A very important improvement in the Experimental Station prop- prty during the year 1951 was the loving of an additional half mile or road. This. together with tho i.:.!f mile paved in 1950. provides cod roads to all the main farm ..idings, including the pig testing station. and enables visitors to take 3. scenic drive through the station ,1-ounds and around the lily pond '

In addition. the erection of gate ;i.-:s at both cntranccs added! ch to the attractiveness of the

:.-- Col. E. W. Johnstone who hast mviircd this tfvpe of work at his, .xi':'. beautiful farmstead at Long; 'rl"ll new buildiu';s were con-! tell or cmnnleted during the!

The round hen house was iniotrd and automatic feeders xvi tl'fli0l'Cl'S installed. thus pro- . mm. It urarzticnl lesson in fccdinsv ..;' ,Fllf"'. At. the Upton Farm . rcv: rl'.vcll'nL' house was built. a scale hmise was also con- icd for the purpose of weigh- steers in pasture experiments. ; -nut was also placed over the f-Ming trouchs in the non barn on" a new machine shed built.

'1 he Station bovdht an addition- al block nf land from .I.A. Moore jim-nt Edward Road, which will lo used as a building area. This y-izrs the total area of the Station :'..i acres.

iii-hi Days, Meetings, and Visitors

The Experimental Station ' was iinrt to a number of prominent vis- gmrs in 1951. the most important. ors bcizw Her Roval Highness 1-..nccss 1'-l'lzabeth and His Rova! ilmhnr-ss Prince Philip. who visit- ni this Station on November 9th Elf the purpose of planting an Oak trne. seeing the Station livestock rurl poultry and having afternoon tea. The Royal visitors showed iron interest in the research work :' the Station and in farm work in general.

During the summer of lfisl. two rwups of agricultural officials from I-mi-a. Pakistan and Kashmir vis- ied the Station and reviewed me- i':i'uls of studying aariculturainrob- i.”nl3 in Prince Edward Island. These men visited the Province i".l.'lPl' the Colombo Plan of aid to Mrkward countries in" the Far East. 'They were all highly trained rfiicials and were able to offer may very valuable suggestions to micultural officials and farmers in Prince Edward Island. as well as rather data for use in their own countries.

Practically all divisional chiefs or their assistants visited this Station some time during the year. In ad- riftlon to this. we had visits from Superintendent Green of the can- still Experimental Station. New- foundland: W. A. Ross, Head. Fruit .t- Insect Division. Science Service. Dr. D. Akenhead. director of the Commonwealth Bureau of Horti- ziitural and Plantation Crops. rncland and many others.

Mr. 5. R. N. lfodizins and Mr. F. F. Tyrell from the Information ::-rrice. Ottawa. spent two days at the Station photographing various rrniccts.

Members of the Experimental Station staff attended a mimber of conventions and conferences and rave lectures and papers. A series at seminars was presented by incmbersgof the staff. This series if seminars was primarily for the tour-fit of the station staff.

Some of the organizations hold- hir: meetings or field days at the oerimental Station were as fol-

ic Prince Edward Island Ayr- si-..rc Ereedcrsl Club. Junior Farm- r's' Leadershln Course. Charlotte- 'ov 1-. Rotary Club. Maritime Straw- v Growcvsf Association. and ilr ..try f7'ubs from Kingshoro and icrnon Rivcr. in order to cope with the areal !".'l'E'1Se in visitors and to guard 1 Station property against petty rvcry and vandalism an ar- nmnnt. was entered into with R.C.M.P. and tho Superintend- of Cornmisrinnaires for the .oymcnt of three Commission- . These veterans are on twen- ' four hour duty and are rcndcr- 1'". a valuable service.

Weather 195i

The monthly mean trmpcraturre 1..:' the winter months of 1951 was mil above the average and the v.uil.cr was one of the mlldest in ii'f'Flli. years. There were no pro- I-'.liljIf.'d spells of cold days and the ovsest temperatures were recorded in January 31 and February lat alien the thermometer dropped to it and 5 below.

Above normal precipitation and Lznperstures were recorded during the spring months. Rainfall dur- in: the summer was above the 42 liar average. Temperatures were -'V"I':uze but the absence of a suc- (cssion of not: warm days put the summer season in the cool class.

The hours of bright sunshine ".'rrc about 250 hours less than normal with the month of August iiown to 128.4 hours from the av- fmire of 227.3. and November 44.!) hours from the average of 76.9.

Normal weather conditions pre- inaled throughout the fall months.

Agronomy

frhough snow cover during the iimter of 1950-51 was light and often cntircly absent. owing to liliiuent thaws, clover and alfalfa luntered well.

The growing season was charac- ill-7-ed by aibundantr rainfall. so '-Vtil distributed that there was no midsummer dry period. As I re- 3i'"v- Duturee on- many forms were abnormally well rn intalncd and glilins crops were not required.

"line to prolonged ehowery weath- "- I sood deal of the hay crop

nnrty. These posts were builtil

itr.-nding the pasture season and in-

Mr. R.C.'I'arent. Director of the Experimental Farm here. who dur- ing the past year has entertained a wide assortment of visitors from all parts of the world. Among them 1- ere numbered llcr Highness Prin- cess Elizabeth and her Consort. Frincc Philip, the Duke of Edin- burgh.

has harvested in poor condition and in some districts a consider- able quantity was not harvested at all.

The out crop was above the av- crage. but lower than that produc- ed in 1950. and showed more vari- ciion as between districts.

Potatoes made good growth dur- ing the fi1'st half of the season; but many acres were killed early by blight. The total yield in the Province was approximately 20 bushels per acre less than in 1950. The loss from rot was much less than was anticipated.

The yield of corn for silage was about average.

Swede turnips gave a yield that was above average but owing to cxicnsive damage from root-mag- cots a large percentage of the crop was unfit for export as table stock.

Among the older scedings of al- falfa varieties, at the Experiment- al Station. Rhizoma is showing the greatest. longevity. In point of an- nual yield. it compares favorably with Grimm and Ontario Varie- gated. However, it has shown little spreading by rhizomes before the plants were two years old.

The roadside turf plots seeded last year made excellent growth during the past season. All mix- tures of grasses and clovers gave good surface protection. Time alone will determine which of the twenty mixtures in the test will be the most persistent.

Upton Farm Project

A project was begun during the yeax at the Upton Farm on simple mixtures of grasses and legumes for pasture. It has been found that where grasses have been grown in a mixture there is a tendency for the more vigorous grasses to crowd out the others. It was, therefore considered desirable to investigate the possibility of growing pure species of crosses with a leaume. These species of grasses will be rotatlonaliy grazed as they come into production as a means of ex-

creasing pasture production. Four species were seeded with ladino clo- ver (grain as a nurse crop). These included Orchard Grass, Brome Grass Timothy. and Meadow Fes- cuc. Orchard Grass looked very promising this fall. closely follow- ed by Meadow Fescue and Brome Grass. Timothy, which is natur- ally slow in becoming established during the first year, did not show up as good as the other three spe- C185. f

The sloping land at Beach Grove was laid out, in the fall of 1950. on the contour. The first of these con- tour strips to be broken up pro- duced an excellent crop of grain this nast year. A rotation of crops will be followed on these contour strips with much of the rotation being devoted to grasses for hay and grass silage.

Beach Grove Project

Two soil fertility projects were under study at Beach Grove dur- ing the past year. For one of these projects, "Sources of Organic Mat- ter for Potatoes in Rotation". it was the first year to be conducted and although one year's results are of little value it is interesting to note that all treatments except aidcrmud (No. 9) and aldermud and manure (No. 10) were superior to'the check. On the other hand. aldermud (No. 9) was poorer than the check. The treatments under study were (tons per acre):

1. Check (No organic matter ap- plied). . 20 tons of cow manure. straw as bedding. . 20 tons of cow manure. straw as bedding plus stable phos. . 20 tons of cow manure. shav- ings as bedding. 20 tons of compost. . 20 tom of cow manure -l- woody peat in gutter. . 20 COIISVDI cow manure. straw as bedding plus 2 tons of straw. 20 tons cow manure from the loose pen barn. . 70 tons of Aldermud.

10 tons of Aidcrmud plus 10 tons

of cow manure.

. 20 tons of seaweed (Irish Mose.

Kelp, Rockwecd. etc.) ' Cobbler potatoes were grown and the average yields in summary forms are as follows:

Oiicck-164 bus. per acre.

No. 9--122 bus. per acre.

All other treatments-221 bus per acre mos. 1. 9. 6: lo omitted).

The other proj.eot”'Rates of ap- plying Manure and Commercial

CQIO

toes" in being conducted in a three year rotation. and also in a block where potatoes are being grown

.fert1lizer formulae used. on each

Fertiliser Combinations for Pota- .

have to be carried on for several years before any conclusive results can be obtained.

Solis

Fertilizer experiments were con- tinued in 1951 to determine the relative merits of different fertil- izer formulae for potatoes and grain grown on the three major soil types in the Province. These experiments were conducted in co- operation with farmers located on the different soils, and in "the green-house at the Experimental Station. Substantial increases in yield were obtained. with all the

soil type. While there was a dif- ference in the magnitude of re- sponse to fertilizer applications in relation to soil type. no single for- muia was outstanding.

Over eight hundred soil samples. from experimental plots. were col- lccted for laboratory studies. Over three hundred samples were re- ceived from farmers throughoutthe Province. These were analyzed and farmers were advised regarding the best fertilizer treatment.

Illustration Station Activltiesb

Experiments of a fact-finding nature involving 8111 experimental plots, and comprising upwards of 190 acres, were under study on seven Illustration Stations repre- sentative of various soil types in the Province. These Iield experi- iiieiits are so designed that infor- mation acquired may supplement research work now couclucted by the Experimental Farm Service and, in turn, benefit the individual farmer.

'1'hc improvement of permanent pastures by the use of chemical fertilizers has been an active pro- joct on Illustration Stations in Prince Edward Island for a num- bcr of years. Experiments conduct- cd during the past year at seven Stations indicates the beneficial effect of a complete fertilizer ap- plied annually. Pasture plots treat- ed with 600 pounds of Superphos- phatc plus 100 pounds Muriate of Potash every three years with a supplementary treatment of ill pounds Ammonium Nitrate annu- ally have also given substantial in- creases in yields ovcr unfertilized plots.

Benefits derived from surface applications of well rotted manure cannot be overemphasized. Experi- ments have shown that top dress- ings of manure even in small quantities have not only encourag- ed the establishment of Wild White Clover but have served to prolong the grazing period carrying the pasture through prolonged dry por- iods.

Rotational Pastures

Hand in hand with manurial treatments and the application of commercial fertilizers is the man- agement of permanent or rotation- al pastures. Close grazing has been found very essential for the estab- lishment and production of Wild White Clover. During the. past year. periodical mowing of pastures has been practised at the Monti- cello. New London, Olf..eary. Rose Valley. and Urbainvllle Stations.

These farm owners have found this practice very beneficial from tlie standpoint of. keeping the pas- tare grasses and clovers growing vigorously as well as discournginc the development and spread of noxious weeds. Experience has proved that where pastures are under-grazed and where grasses are allowed to siibot into head. production of herbage is somewhat reduced and the resultant mature forage is not relished by livestock Periodical mowing of pastures which have developed a rank crowth also facilitates the estab- lishment and production of Wild White Clover so highly relished by cattle.

Five Illustration Station Field Days held during the year at- tracted a total attendance of 1,053 farmers. Record attendances were registered at the Rose Vtaiiey, Monticello, and New London Sta- tions with 250. 300. and 400 farm- ers present respectively. A special frature at these Field Days was an address on "Grassland Farming. and the Methods Adopted in En- siling Grasses and Clovcrs" by JE. shuh. Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

Mr. Robert Woodsidc. Illustra- tion Station operator. O'I..eary. and Mr T. Albert. Hickcn. Illustration Station operator. Alliston. ensilcd

All work and no play makes Jack a. dull boy,

so the members of the

staff of the Experimental Farm take time off to enjoy an outing at the

North Shore. The picture was taken during the past summer

Ladino Glover. and Blrdsfoot Trc-' foil. These varieties have beer. seeded in hssociation with varying rates of Timothy, Red Clover, A1- faifa, and Alsike Clover.

It is intererting to note thati Brome Grass has shown consider-I able promise at. a”numbcr of Sta-ll tions but some difficulty has been! experienced in obtaining a goodl catch due to the fact that tiiisi particular variety must be seeded comparatively shallow, i

On the farm of John L. Clark. Rustico. an excellent stand of. Bronte has been secured which hasi persisted during the.past three) years, providing an abundant sup , ply of excellent quality hav follow . cd by a lush growth of aftermath. I

On low-lying land.-Reed Canary" O-.-ass has shown up exceptionally well but in order to obtain the best quality hay. this species must be out early. otherwise. the stems be- come comparatively coarse. At the New London Station. an excellent aftermath of Reed Canary Grass was afforded for fall pastures.

Durihg the past year, excellent stands of Ladiuo and Birdsfoot Trefoil had hecn obtaincd at ail', Stations when seeded along wlthi the regular grass and clover seed. mixtures. These two legumes which have proved to be rather useful in pasture and grass seed mixtures in some sections of Canada and the United States are presently beinz studied for winter hardiness and productivity under our soil and climatic conditions.

Ccrcal Grain Tests

During the past year, the tcstin-.: of cereal grains was continued at the O'Le:u-y, Urliainvillc, Rose Va!- ley. and Monticello Stations. In co- operation with the cereal Division,

E-Vperimenml 5'-RUDD. Charlotte-'1: is anticipated that a lii11li0d'

town. twelve varieties of cats. eight varieties of wheat. and 6 varieties of barley were tested. Farmers at- tending the Annual Field Days were afforded an opportunity to view the various varieties growing in the field and discuss the re- spective merits of each,

In co-operation with the Division of l-lcrticulturc. Experimental St tion. Charlottetown. a new experi-; mental orchard. comprising an ax-ex. of 1-1'. acres. was established at the Aillston Illustration Station in 1051. The object of this experi- ment is to learn if various varic- tics of apples can be succcssfullyi produced on the light sandy soils of this section of the Province by the use of various types of surface mulches. These mulchcs include black muck, straivy manure, saw- dust, potato tops. litter. etc. A 9-I D-7 fertilizer formula is beinrt util-. ized in connection with this ex- periment. During the past year. 110 young seedlings made very satis- factory growtii.

Special invcsiiguiionui studios. comprising 27 feriiiizcr formulae. were established for the fourth consecutive year at the New Lon- don Staiion. All plots were cs-

trrasses and ciovers for the first time this year utilizing the up- r;gi1t. and trcnch type of silos rc- soectivelv. At. the present time.i this high nuolity cnsilacc is being utzllzed in tho feeding of dairy cat-I tie with excellent results.

Soil I-Zxjg-.rimenfs

In view of the increased interest! among farmers in a grassland, f'-.rming progr:un. the Division of' Illustration gstations. sensing the, need of new and improved strainsl of grasses and clovers, established seven field experiments on soils of different types-in 1948. A study isi being made of the behaviour of Bromc Grass. Meadow Fescue. need Canary Grass. Orchard Grass.

year after year. This is necessar-

tly a long term project ' and will

autumn on their visit to Canada to

Pictured above are members of the agricultural mission fromjrulla and Pakistan who were here last

tablishcd in duplicutc with and without manure. Studios are be- ing pursucii on n four-your crop roiniion basis fcuiuriug poiuincs, grain S(.'D(lC(i, clover, and timothy. Trends, to date, indicate the bcncficinl cffcct of barnyard man-

: members took their sea breezes. -

.T.Texce-1iZ..T.-'.- l. . lure a bit too short in the straw ilo merit a recommendation but

as the1

sclclctionyvvorrkntvith utility laying stock.

Replacing the work l'0rin6ll1.V

undertaken with Barred Rocks.

two new projects. mcntionod last year. are now being conducted. namely, "The feasibility of select- ion, basod on the progeny test. as a method for inc-rousing the producing ability of fowl" and "The improvement of the Broad Breasted white breed of fowl for meat production". The first. of these makes use of scvcrul strains of White Lcghorns, the latter. a new breed of fowl (iCVOl0p('(l at the Control Experimental Farm. Ottawa, and noted for its excel- lent moat type carcass.

It was ncccssnry to provide new laying house accommodation the more than one thousand Log- horns in the first project. A new circular laying house. 72 feel. in diameter was construct:-d. the work being completed in time for pull:-ts starting to lay in August.

This house is fitted with auto-l

mntic wulcrcrs, automatic fcetlcr, and steep trap ncsis. Vcniiiation is by means of slots at. the cave lino, and tiicrniosliiticiiiiy con- trolled cxlinust fans.

The Broad Brvaslcd whilc birds are housed in the siantiarti type 25 x 100 foot laying house form-

ierly used for the Barred Rocks.

(lcrcals

The out crop continues to oc- cupy the leading place in ccrcal tests at the Station. A standard tcst of twelve varielics was grown in rcplicntcti plots at town and at four Illustration Sta- itions. In ihcsc icsis. tho rcgistcr- ed strain of Abcgwcit outyiciricd

all others and every effort is be-.

ing mode to build up :1 supply of this sccci as quickly as possible.

.quantiiy will bv available to farmers for the 1953 socding. i Erbnn oats continues to stand

Iup well in yield lcsis and shows consistent lodging rcsisianco. Boa- 'vcr and Ajax are also useful var- ictics but their yicitis nrc sonic- 'whnl. lowcr than Abcgwcit or Er- ban. Victory. it into vurir-iy with no disease rcsistuncr continues to yield well under favorable con- (litibns but it docs not nppcar to be any better than the ncwcr rust resistant sorts and there is always the risk of a rust epidemic.

Many hybrid strains of oats were under tcst this season in- cluding scvcrai huiiess st-icctions. Discasc resistance and lodging rc- sistance combined with high yield and quality are the objectives aimed at in the out brcc-(ling pro- gram.

A new project was initiated this year to determine the cffcct of stage of maturity at harvest time on the quality and yield of oats. No conclusions can be drawn from a single year's work but it

is anticipated that lhicrcsiing'und valuable data will he obtained from this project.

Barley Va ricty Ti-st.-i

Burlcy variety tests at tho Sla- tion ivcrc seriously (iill1IilfI('(l h.v barley joint worm. and yield rc- suits are not of much value. Un- fortunately. Charlottetown No. 80 sccms particularly susceptible to

ure particularly its residual cffcct

on the clover and timothy crop. flint a breeding program will be)

The necessity of utilizing n bal- anced fcriiiizcr with a rolativcly high nitrogen content. in tho) vicinily of (Wr. is further indicat-.

cd.

ivnrictics were grown iii two

joint worm injury. ii is likely

undcrtakcn in the near future to. develop vnriciics resistant to. joint worm injury.

llcpiicalcd tcsis of six huricv

Ii-I

lustration Stations and those gnvo

Poultry

posed of the flock of Barred Ply-I

mouth Rock hens utilized for rnanyishowing from a yield standpoint. d,Cnrlberg. in particular. produced

years as a basis of breeding nn

.x.

make I study of

u

very ,varlctics developed During the your, the Station dis- avian countries were included in

Three Scandin-

results. in